


Bionicle: Tale of the Chronicler

by AchsaP



Category: Bionicle - All Media Types
Genre: Epic, Epic Battles, Fate & Destiny, Gen, Human, Legends, Retelling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-03-17 03:07:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 61,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18956590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AchsaP/pseuds/AchsaP
Summary: This is the retelling of the first generation of Bionicle, the Mata Nui saga, from the point of view of the adventurous Takua the Chronicler. From the arrival of the Toa to the discovery of a strange artifact, Takua faces challenges he never dreamed of, and ultimately uncovers his destiny. All characters have been humanized, just to separate the lore aspect of the Bionicle franchise from the toy aspect of it.





	1. Prologue

 All my life has been spent wandering around this island, collecting stories and recording our history. I’m talking about my people, the Matoran. We’re workers, building, farming, harvesting, and hunting, continually presumably for the rest of time. To what end, I never understood.

  
 I took the job as the Chronicler of the island of Mata Nui because it allowed me to leave the sweltering heat of Ta-Koro, my village, and see the world. And when I say world, I’m talking about Mata Nui. The island. It’s all I’ve ever known.

  
 My name is Takua. I travel and write stories. That’s basically all there is to me. But sometimes I find myself getting a weird feeling that there’s more. There has to be more of a purpose to my life. There has to be more of a world out there to explore. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been here. Every matoran has been here.

  
 Turaga Vakama, my village’s elder, once told me the story of how we all came to be here. He said that all the matoran were brought here by the Great Spirit Mata Nui, and gave three values to us as gifts.

  
Unity, Duty, and Destiny.

 And the Turaga named the island Mata Nui after the Great Spirit in his honor.

  
 It’s a nice story and all, but the next part is where it gets good. See, Mata Nui had a brother, Makuta. His evil twin. Makuta wanted to rule over Creation, so in a jealous rage he cast a spell over Mata Nui that caused him to fall into a deep sleep. Then he presumably began to spread an infection of darkness over the universe.

  
 But not all has been lost, for it’s said that Mata Nui has sent for six great heroes right before being struck down. These heroes, called Toa, are supposed to be masters over the elements, and are destined to free the world from Makuta’s darkness.

  
 It’s a nice bedtime story. And I call it that because I have yet to see any evidence of Makuta’s darkness yet. This island is a paradise; almost every day is sunny, clear skies (as soon as you step outside the fiery volcano village of Ta-Koro, that is). So far, I’ve got this myth recorded, along with some assorted adventures and achievements of matoran all over the island.

  
 That’s why I firmly believe that there has to be more. This peaceful, boring island can’t be our entire existence. So, I’ve devoted my life to finding out more about the matoran, and also looking for some excitement.

  
 I’m the Chronicler. And I will find all the answers. I will record all of history. And I will live it.


	2. Arrival

> So, I guess I can officially start the record off with the beginning of the madness. It seems that I’ve finally gotten my wish for something— _anything—_ to happen. There have been several reports of rahi attacks. Rahi are the wild animals that inhabit the island of Mata Nui. And they usually are only vicious if provoked. Lately, they’ve been attacking matoran _un_ provoked, which is reasonable cause for alarm. Just last week, muaka cats have been prowling the borders of Ko-Koro, the icy village in the mountains. One Ko-Matoran guard was bitten on his way to his post. Just yesterday, Nui Jaga scorpions invaded some caves in Po-Koro, the stone village in the desert. Now there’s a lava rat infestation in most of Ta-Koro’s structures.
> 
>     I’m not ready to call “Makuta” on this one. If there was an All-Powerful god of darkness really out there, he wouldn’t waste his time sending swarms of wild animals after us. He could probably smother the entire island with one fell swoop if he wanted. Well, there is some excitement happening at least. I hope I won’t regret my wish.

 

        Takua put his notebook into his bag, and headed to the front of the village. Ta-Koro was technically his home, but always felt suffocating to him. Not only was it unbearably hot all the time—due to it being built on the slopes of the great Mangai volcano—but also it was surrounded by a large stone wall, which in turn was surrounded by a lake of lava. Smoke covered the sky most of the time, so he often couldn’t even stargaze when there was nothing for him to do.

He reached the main gate, where his best friend Jaller was on guard duty. When he wasn’t out on a Chronicler-type mission or moping around Ta-Koro, Takua liked to bother Jaller while he was working.

          Jaller’s back was to Takua. And what a straight back it was. Jaller loved his job as Captain of the Guard. He was straight-edged, quick thinking, and dependable. And also too easy to surprise. Takua crept up behind his friend, stifling a giggle. He grabbed both Jaller’s shoulders and yelped directly into his ear. Jaller whirled, pinning Takua down on the ground with his guard staff in one fluid motion.

          “What the hell is wrong with you?” Jaller scolded as Takua laughed helplessly on the ground. “I’m on _duty_.”

          “Tell me, what is this _duty_ you talk about? Takua teased, snickering.

          “One of these days you’re going to have to take things a bit more seriously,” Jaller sighed, offering a hand to help Takua off the ground. Once he was back on his feet, Takua punched Jaller’s arm.

          “What do ya say we go on a small adventure today?” Takua grinned from ear to ear.

          Jaller replied by punching Takua’s arm, twice as hard. As Takua yelped in pain, Jaller said, “After that little stunt, I’m not so sure I want to today.”

          “Aw, come on, Jaller! I’m bored!” Takua whined. Jaller smiled and rolled his eyes.

          “You’re _always_ bored.”

          “Aren’t you?”

          “Not really. I keep myself busy enough.”

          “Being busy isn’t the same as _having fun_.”

          Jaller laughed, putting a hand to his hip. “Hey, don’t _you_ have any jobs to do for Turaga Vakama today?”

          “He didn’t give me any today. Please, please, can we go adventuring?” Takua stared at Jaller, widening his eyes pleadingly.

          “I hate it when you make that face,” Jaller grunted, turning his attention back to his post. Takua continued to stare at his friend, begging with his eyes. He could tell Jaller was desperate to ignore him, so he began poking his arm. After a minute, his friend gave in.

          “Alright, fine. Just wait until my shift is done.”

          “You’re the best friend on all of Mata Nui,” Takua gushed, nudging Jaller with his elbow. His friend cracked a smile, lightly pushing Takua to get him to leave. Giving Jaller a mock salute, Takua backed away from him and headed back into the village to kill some time.

          After about an hour of pacing, bored out of his mind, Takua finally saw Jaller heading in his direction. He gave his friend a wide grin, and the two headed out the main gate.

          “Shouldn’t we check in with Turaga Vakama?” Jaller asked.

          “It’ll be fine,” Takua said, “he won’t notice we’re gone for a few hours.”

          “The Captain of the Guard and the Chronicler? Sure, I doubt we’ll be missed,” Jaller snorted, “Anyway, where are you planning on going?”

          “I was thinking about heading to Ga-Koro today. Say hi to the nice Ga-Matoran, maybe go for a swim,” Takua mused, winking playfully at Jaller.

          “You have a twitch?” Jaller frowned.

          “Maybe we’ll see Hahli there,” Takua teased, winking again. Jaller tried to hide it, but Takua saw a spark of interest flash in his eyes.

          “I don’t know what you mean by that.” Jaller grumbled as Takua snickered playfully.

          As they walked, taking in the changing scenery as they crossed the rocky border of Mangai Volcano, through the Charred Forest that surrounded it, and into some grasslands and forests, Takua wrote down as much as he could so the Turaga couldn’t accuse him of wasting his time wandering around.

 

>           The island of Mata Nui is pretty diverse in terms of climate and environment. The village of Ta-Koro is located in the near center of the island, on the slopes of Mangai Volcano. This volcano has not been active for a few years now, but is due for another eruption soon. It’s a great opportunity for a bit of lava surfing. A bit to the north, the rocky ground becomes frozen and buried in snow. This leads to the slopes of Mount Ihu, the island’s highest point and the coldest as well. This is the location of Ko-Koro, the village of ice, and the best resort for snowboarding. This area is prone to blizzards and avalanches; the question is whether it’s preferable to volcanic eruptions. I’d say it’s debatable.
> 
>     Further north is the location of the underground caves of Onu-Koro. The earthy village boasts the most intricately carved caves on the whole island, also characterized by underground streams and hot springs. And of course earthquakes and cave-ins. A bit to the east, and you’ll hit the desert and the location of Po-Koro. The village is built of stone, hard and strong as anything could be. It’s a great place to practice the noble craft of stone carving and sculpting. Of course, you have to deal with dust storms and blistering sunburns if you want to pay this place a visit.
> 
>     Back down south, and to the east of Ta-Koro is the beautiful bay and beaches of Ga-Koro. While this area is prone to hurricanes and tidal waves, it’s generally a great place to relax and go for a refreshing swim. And last but no least, is the great jungle in the south, and home to Le-Koro, a village in the trees. A great hangout spot for matoran who enjoy vine-swinging, great music and dancing, and random bouts of heavy rainfall and nearly suffocating humidity.
> 
>     In the center of it all is the glorious and ancient temple of Kini-Nui. The Turaga say it’s the most sacred place on the whole island. It’s a huge stone structure, with towering spires covered in vines and foliage. I’ve only seen it once, but I’m sure it holds plenty of interesting secrets.
> 
>     That’s our home. Good old Mata Nui. One day I plan on seeing every inch of its surface, every tunnel, nook, and cranny this place has to offer. I’ll learn all its secrets and beyond.

 

          “We’re almost there,” Jaller’s voice said, pulling Takua out of his notes and back to reality. The air was fragrant with salt, and the sky shone more blue than Takua thought possible. Soon he could hear the soothing rush of the waves on the sandy shore. He shoved his notebook into his bag, and stretched his arms behind his head. Ga-Koro lay before them in all its beauty.

          A single boardwalk led the two Ta-Matoran from the white sandy beach to the floating village surrounded by a woven fence. The village consisted mostly of large huts made of palm tree fronds, driftwood, and woven beach grass. The huts stood on enormous green lily pads, connected by small wooden bridges. Strings of tropical flowers adorned everything. Normally there would be Ga-Matoran swimming, fishing, weaving nets, and selling trinkets at their seaside stands. Instead, Ga-Matoran milled about, talking and whispering frantically with one another. Takua and Jaller exchanged a look of concern. So much for the leisurely atmosphere they were expecting.

          They reached the largest hut of them all, which was marked with symbols of the Turaga. They were about to enter when a Ga-Matoran burst out from it and ran straight into Jaller, knocking him onto his backside.

          “Oh, sorry!” she cried, helping him up. Takua couldn’t help but laugh. The Ga-Matoran brushed her hair aside, blushing.

          “I—It’s okay, Hahli,” Jaller stammered slightly. Hahli giggled nervously.

          “What brings you two here?” she asked, blue eyes wide with interest.

          “Just a short visit. We were bored,” Takua said, resting his arm on Jaller’s shoulder.

          “That’s a good reason as any to visit,” Hahli said, smiling at Jaller. Jaller in turn didn’t say anything, but Takua could tell he was trying to think of _something_ to say. Suddenly Hahli’s smile disappeared and her voice got serious. “This might not be the best time, though. Turaga Nokama has been getting really bad omens. I don’t know what, but something bad’s going to happen, and it won’t be safe for you here.”

          “You think it could be Makuta?” Jaller asked, surprising Takua and presumably Hahli at his sudden ability to speak.

          “Like I said, I don’t know. But Turaga Nokama says it’s a strong possibility,” Hahli folded her arms, as if to protect herself. Her gaze snapped downward at her feet. Jaller shifted his weight from foot to foot.

          “Well, that’s not good. Maybe we should go tell Turaga Vakama?” Takua suggested. Jaller straightened up, like he had a switch that was just flipped to “Captain of the Guard” mode.

          “Then we should go now,” he turned to Hahli, and in a confident voice said, “Don’t worry, we’ll get you help if you need it.”

          Hahli smiled again, her blue eyes shining. “Thank you. It means a lot. To the whole village, I mean.” She laughed nervously.

          Jaller smiled back. “It’s no trouble. Umm. I guess I—I’ll see you around, then.” He scratched the back of his head absently.

          “Don’t worry, Hahli. I’m sure everything will be fine. We’ll come back to visit soon!” Takua nodded to her, and headed back to the beach with Jaller trailing behind him.

          As the two began their walk back to Ta-Koro, the blue skies over Ga-Koro seemed to gray out and darken. The air grew thick and the wind picked up, whistling through the beach grass. Neither matoran spoke to each other the whole way to their village, and Takua could sense Jaller was as uneasy as he was. This was new: this urge to run back and hide behind Ta-Koro’s walls. Takua never thought he’d get _that_ feeling.

          As they reached the rocky slopes of Mangai Volcano, the earth began to tremble slightly under their feet. Smoke billowed above. Ta-Koro was always underneath a blanket of smoke, but not this thick. They passed through the main gates, and headed toward Turaga Vakama’s stone hut. The old village leader was already outside it, surrounded by a crowd of panicked matoran.

          The old man noticed Takua and Jaller, and gestured for them to come forward.

          “Thank goodness you two are here. Now everyone is accounted for,” the elder said, eyes glimmering with worry.

          Takua couldn’t help but feel relieved that he wasn’t going to get another lecture about wandering off without consulting the Turaga. Jaller stepped forward, formally addressing the elder.

          “What’s the situation, Turaga?” he asked after saluting.

          Turaga Vakama’s voice was unsettlingly grave. “It seems as though Makuta’s darkness is beginning to manifest.”

          A chorus of confused and panicked whispers rose from the crowd like smoke from the Mangai volcano’s peak. In the back of Takua’s mind, dread began to grow and spread. Makuta was real? Was this really his doing? Turaga Vakama then addressed Takua, breaking him from his thoughts.

          “Chronicler, I have a task for you,” his yellow eyes fixed on Takua’s blue ones. Takua felt slightly chilled, in spite of the heat around him. He stepped forward, standing next to Jaller.

          “Y-yes, Turaga?”

          The elder pulled a fist-sized stone from the pockets of his robe. He placed it in Takua’s hands. Takua turned the stone over and over in his hands. It was surprisingly heavy, and strangely warm, like it radiated heat on its own. There were ancient Matoran glyphs on the surface, along with the familiar Matoran symbol for fire. Takua glanced back up at Turaga Vakama.

          “I need you to take this to the Great Temple. The other Turaga are sending representatives from their villages with similar stones there as well.”

          Takua smiled and nodded in respect. “I will, Turaga. You can count on me.”

          “I know I can, young one,” Turaga Vakama said, patting Takua on the shoulder. This was the most honored the elder had ever made him feel, and the chills he felt earlier were gone. “Now, make haste, Chronicler. There’s no time to waste.”

          “You got it!” Takua said. He turned to Jaller, nudging him playfully with his elbow.

          “Be careful,” Jaller smiled, “Don’t get lost on the way, kolhii-head.”

          Takua laughed, and took his leave. The crowd of Ta-Matoran parted to allow him through. Some even shouted words of encouragement. Fueled by everyone’s positivity, Takua practically jogged out of the main gate, and headed towards the thick burned out forest on the border of Ta-Koro.

          Soon Takua was at the steps of Kini-Nui, the Great Temple. It was an impressive structure, even more impressive than the solid buildings of Po-Koro. It was surrounded by thick, dripping tropical foliage. Takua also noticed that the billowing clouds covering everything had failed to reach the area directly above the temple. Rays of blinding sunlight still blazed down on it like a brilliant pillar of gold.

          The temple itself consisted of a large, circular elevated courtyard, with sets of stairs leading up to it from six different sides. In between the six sets of stairs were six spires that seemed to pierce the sky itself. In the center of the courtyard was the large, rounded suva—the Matoran word for “shrine”—that held the most spiritual importance. It was covered in carvings, older than the Turaga themselves, and had six slots all around it, about the same size as the stone Takua held in his hand. There was also a door on one side that apparently led down to secret chambers, but Takua had never actually been down there himself.

          Takua noticed that one of the slots on the suva had the same fire symbol as the stone. Before he could do anything else, he spotted a few other matoran coming up the stairs. He saw Hahli, holding a similar stone to his. She waved shyly at him, and he waved back with a friendly smile. Right behind Hahli was a strong, hardy Po-Matoran Takua knew named Hewkii. On another staircase behind Takua was a Ko-Matoran he didn’t know, and an Onu-Matoran inventor named Nuparu. Soon all of them joined him beside the suva.

          “Are we all here?” Hewkii asked, tossing the stone into the air and nonchalantly catching it in his hand. Hahli’s eyes followed the stone up and down nervously. Hewkii noticed her look, and caught the stone one last time, gripping it tightly in his fist.

          “We’re _not_ all here,” Nuparu spoke up, shielding his green eyes from the sun, “Where’s the Le-Matoran?”

          As if right on cue, a loud rustling came from the trees and a Le-Matoran came swinging in on a vine. He landed hard next to the Ko-Matoran, nearly knocking him over.

          “Sorry I’m late,” the Le-Matoran said, brushing leaves out of his flyaway hair. The Ko-Matoran flashed him an annoyed look.

          “No problems, Kongu,” Takua said, giving him a high-five. The Le-Matoran smiled, and glanced down at the stone he carried.

          “So, shall we?” Hewkii said, gesturing to the suva with his stone.

          “Yeah, everyone find the elemental symbol that matches the one on the stone,” Takua said, and walked up to the fire slot on the suva. He placed the stone inside. The other matoran did the same.

          When all the stones were in place, each began to glow. The ground shook beneath the Matorans’ feet. A beam of white light, which made sunlight look dim in comparison, shot upwards from the top of the suva. All the matoran, including Takua, jumped back, shielding their eyes and desperately tried to keep their footing on the increasingly unstable ground. For a few moments, all Takua could see was white.

          After a few minutes, the beam of light faded, and Takua’s vision soon returned to normal, though his eyes still hurt a bit. The other matoran seemed to be recovering as well, though Takua could tell Nuparu’s eyes were having much more trouble adjusting, as being an Onu-Matoran meant he was underground most of his life. The ground had stopped shaking as well.

          In the momentary peace, the matoran collectively decided to return to their respective villages to report to their Turaga. After saying goodbye to the others, even the Ko-Matoran he didn’t know, Takua began heading back in the direction of Ta-Koro.

          Takua arrived home without incident, though he felt a few small earthquakes along the way and rumblings of thunder in the distance. He hoped a hurricane wasn’t rolling in, anything to keep things from getting too crazy before the Toa arrive.

          After reporting to Turaga Vakama and having a quick conversation with Jaller, Takua headed into the village to his tiny hut, where he collapsed onto his cot exhausted.

          Some few hours later, Takua was shaken awake. From what he could tell from the glow of torches outside, it was the middle of the night. He blinked sleepily and saw Jaller standing over his bed.

          “You need to get out of here, it’s not safe!” His friend said, tugging his arm. Takua groaned, still tired from the long day he had.

          “What do you—?” a loud crash shook the walls of his hut, waking Takua up instantly.

          “We’ve got a small herd of vako rhinos loose in the village,” Jaller said, “We don’t know how they got in!”

          More sounds of stone breaking shattered the air, along with the yelps and screams of matoran. Takua grabbed Jaller’s arm and sprinted out of his hut, practically dragging his friend behind him. They ran for a bit before a huge vako straight ahead stopped them both dead. Takua’s heart dropped to the ground. Beside him, Jaller took out his guardstaff, gripping it tightly in his hands.

          “Get behind me,” he barked, gritting his teeth and staring down the beast.

          As Takua shook in fear, he also noticed that something was wrong with the vako. These guys were really hard to anger, and never attacked without provocation from a matoran. Also, their eyes were typically shiny black. This vako’s eyes were blazing red with savage fury, and it was making short, huffing breaths. He’s had plenty of encounters with vako, and none had ever behaved like this.

          Jaller began taking small steps forward, thrusting his staff forward at the angry animal and shouting. The vako growled, huffing harder. Takua grabbed Jaller’s shoulder from behind.

          “ _It’s going to charge!”_ Takua shouted, pushing Jaller as hard as he could. He tossed his friend aside, and Jaller hit the ground several meters away from the vako’s path. The beast surged forward, and Takua dove out of the way just in time. Noticing that it had missed its prey, the vako ground to a halt, and whirled around to face Jaller, who was clambering to get back up off the ground.

          It charged again. A scream died in Takua’s throat as Jaller nimbly dove underneath the vako as it stampeded towards him. Without thinking, Takua sprinted towards the animal. Before it could turn around, Takua leaped as high as he could, landing on the beast’s back. The vako bucked hard, letting out a roar, Takua gripped the vako’s horn, feeling like his knuckles were going to break through his skin.

          The animal bucked again, trying to throw Takua off its back. His fingers began burning, and sweat poured from his palms. Everything was a blur. The vako suddenly threw his head back, as if something it in the face. Takua’s fingers finally slipped and he flew backwards, landing on his back on the ground.

          He was dazed for a good while. When he caught his breath, he sat himself up hurriedly. Jaller was facing the vako again, hitting it in the face with his staff. The animal snarled, and backed up a few paces before trying to thrust its horns forward into him. Takua sprang into action again, grabbing a torch from the wall of a nearby hut and charging to his friend’s side.

          He swung the torch at the vako, narrowly missing its horned snout. The beast roared again, preparing to charge again. Takua and Jaller dove to the side and the beast ran headfirst into the wall of a hut, shattering it. The creature seemed dazed, so Takua ran towards it, once again jumping onto its back. In it’s current state, the vako was too weak to try to buck him off this time. Takua grabbed its horn and pulled its head back, forcing it to back out of the damaged hut.

          Once outside, Takua struck the vako’s flank with the torch as hard as he could. The animal ran forward with a renewed vigor. Not too far away, Takua could see another vako trying to break down another hut with its horns. He tugged at the vako’s horn, pulling them to one side. Soon they were headed towards the other vako.

          Takua leaped off the animal’s back just as it collided with the other with a loud _thunk_. Both vako collapsed onto the ground, stunned.

          The hours passed and Takua and Jaller kept fighting. It was hard to tell just how many vako there were, but soon they and most of the village managed to drive them out. When the last vako was out of sight, the two friends collapsed to the ground back to back.

          Jaller dropped his staff and panted hard. Takua also took a while to catch his breath again. His torch had gone out, and he tossed it tiredly aside. Looking around, it seemed like most of the village was pretty badly damaged. Some injured matoran lay about, groaning. Others who were less hurt helped them to stand, and began walking them over to the medical hut to see the Ta-Matoran healers. Takua licked his lips and realized they were split and bleeding. He also had nasty calluses on his hands and he could feel bruises forming on his back, and pretty much the rest of his body.

          Jaller stood up. He had a nasty gash on his arm and some blood was trickling down his forehead from under his hair. “I have to go check on the Turaga. And assist anyone who was injured.”

          “What about you?” Takua said. A drop of blood fell from Jaller’s fingertips and dripped onto the ground.

          “I’m fine. There are others who need _more_ help.” Jaller walked away, leaving Takua to sit alone for a bit, massaging his tired muscles. He stood up. A few Ta-Matoran were gathered around piles of rubble, talking amongst themselves and pointing at Takua.

          “Hey, Chronicler! Get over here!” One of them barked. A bit taken aback, Takua hesitated before walking timidly over to his fellow Matoran. All of them looked annoyed.

          “What’s the problem?” Takua asked.

          “The problem’s _you_ ,” one of them said, jabbing a finger in Takua’s chest, “You destroyed half the huts in the village!”

          “I’m sorry, but I think that was the _herd of wild animals_ that did that,” Takua retorted. Did they not see him doing his best to drive the vako out?

          Another Ta-Matoran pointed to a crushed pile of rubble in the distance. “Actually, _that_ hut in particular was your fault. You led a vako straight through it!”

          “I was trying to stop it from hurting someone!”

          “What if someone was still inside the hut? And what about all these other collapsed walls? You destroyed most of those too!”

          “Hey, I wasn’t trying to destroy the village! I was just—“

          “Takua,” the first Matoran said, “You should leave.”

          Takua’s jaw dropped. Where they all serious?

          “You’ve been a lot of trouble for us,” another said.

          “Not only that, but you wander off every chance you get! Why don’t you try staying and _helping_ out with the work sometime?”

          “I do jobs for Turaga Vakama!” Takua shouted, “I record the island’s history! And I just got done _helping drive the vako out!_ ” He stared incredulously at the small group of Ta-Matoran, who were looking at him like he was some kind of outsider.

          “Do the whole village a favor and _leave_ ,” the first one said, and the other three nodded in agreement.

          “Fine, I’ll leave!” Takua shouted, storming away. He sprinted to his hut, grabbing his traveling bag and Chronicler’s notebook before storming back out the door. He stomped through the broken village, fuming. When he got through the main gate, Takua got the sudden urge to run. So he bolted into the Charred Forest.

          Once he had ran for a good ten minutes, he slowed to walking pace, breathing hard. With an angrily shaking hand he began to write.

 

          The thing about Ta-Matoran is that they are very duty-oriented. Everyone has a job, and everyone must do that job to the best of their abilities. And they are perfectly content staying in Ta-Koro for their entire lives.

    As for me, I like to explore. I like to travel. I like discovering things. Some don’t see that as a “real” job. But when the Turaga appointed me as the Chronicler, they said it was the most important job of them all. They said by recording history, I was preserving our culture, and leaving behind lessons for future generations to learn from.

    And yeah, I’ll admit. I sometimes don’t take it as seriously as I should. And I don’t spend too much time in Ta-Koro, either. So these two things are enough for some Ta-Matoran to see me as a lazy idiot who gets to do whatever he wants.

    But come on! I record important events. I run errands for the Turaga. I brought the Toa stone to Kini-Nui. And just now, I helped save Ta-Koro from a herd of vako. Sure, there was some collateral damage to some buildings and huts, but if I didn’t do _anything_ , more Matoran would have been injured and some may have been killed!

    I don’t know what more they want from me. I’m not a hero. I’m just Takua the Chronicler. And they’re going to have to get used to it.

 

          Takua put his notebook back in his travel bag and continued walking. He spent his entire walk trying to clear his mind, ignoring the scenery around him.

          After a long time, Takua finally felt as though he’d walked off his frustration. He’d somehow ended up on a beach, and he stopped to look out over the water. His mind went back to the Toa stones at Kini-Nui. He wondered when the Toa would arrive. The sky was grey and the water looked just as dark and foreboding. The salty breeze was a bit more violent than what he would have liked. The sand blew hard against his skin, nearly scraping it.

          Overcome with a sudden exhaustion, Takua sat on the beach. He became aware of just how much his body hurt from the vako attack. He lay down, letting sleep wash over him like a wave on the shore.

         

          When Takua woke up, he had no idea how much time had passed. He ran through the past day in his head: he got back from Kini-Nui in the evening, slept for a few hours, then at midnight had to fight some vako for a few hours, then he came here after another hour or so. So it was probably twilight when he fell asleep here. It may be the middle of the day, or the afternoon; it was hard to tell because the cloud cover seemed even thicker than yesterday.

          Takua rubbed his eyes and stretched, immediately crying out in pain. Every muscle in his body was cramped, and his back was painfully stiff. He slowly and awkwardly stood up. He’d never felt so physically terrible in his life.

          He started trudging along the coastline, trying to get his bearings. That’s when his eye caught something silver and shiny in the distance. He couldn’t tell what it was. It was long and cylindrical. Curious, he headed in its direction.

          Takua approached the cylinder. It was probably the size of the biggest boat a Ga-Matoran could build, which comfortably held four Matoran total. Its surface was smooth and glassy. He could see a warped reflection of himself on its side. It was half-sunken in the sand, with small waves rushing around its backside before retreating back to the ocean and rushing back again. The end facing away from the water was open, and what Takua assumed was its top lay in the sand a few meters away from it.

          He glanced inside. There wasn’t anything remarkable about it. What intrigued him was that there were footprints leading away from the cylinder. They were nearly twice the size of Matoran footprints. Burning with curiosity, he followed them. Whether the one who left them was a friend or foe didn’t matter to him. Things were starting to get even more interesting.

 


	3. Hope for Mata Nui

_It seems that the legend was true after all. With all the crazy stuff that’s happened lately, there’s less and less doubt that Makuta isn’t just a scary bedtime story. And now those Toa heroes that the legend spoke of are here._   
_The Toa of Fire arrived in Ta-Koro yesterday. After following his footprints from the silver cylindrical capsule on the beach, I soon found him heading for the village on the slope of Mangai Volcano. I just barely caught up to him in the Charred Forest just outside the main gate._   
_The Captain of the Guard Jaller and a squad of about four or five more guards were posted up front. More guards were posted all around the wall as a precaution for future rahi attacks. As the new stranger approached, they took no chances. Jaller activated the emergency trap system, closing the stranger in a cage of twisted, thorny branches._   
_Much to their dismay, the stranger pulled out a long sword that ignited with a crimson flame. And he cut through the branches with ease. The guards prepped for a direct confrontation, but were stopped by none other than Turaga Vakama himself._   
_The village elder stepped up to the stranger, and actually bowed to him! While all the guards were surprised, I don’t think anyone looked as confused as the stranger himself._   
_Long story short, it seems this was the prophesied Toa of Fire. Strangely, he only remembers his name, Tahu, and nothing about where he came from and what his purpose is._   
_Turaga Vakama is with him now. Probably discussing all those important things._

 Takua sat with Jaller outside the Turaga’s hut, wishing he could hear what the Turaga and Toa were saying.

  
 “I guess the legend is true. We’ve confirmed it,” Jaller said, breaking the silence between them.  
 “Yeah. Who would’ve thought?”  
 “Hey, Takua,” Jaller said, his voice concerned.  
 “What’s wrong?” Takua asked.  
 “About yesterday, after the vako attack…I’m sorry about those guys driving you out. If I were there, I would’ve—“  
 “—It’s okay,” Takua said. Jaller frowned.  
 “No, it’s not. The things they said—“  
 “—Believe me, I’m fine. I’m over it,” Takua said, mustering a convincing smile. Jaller still looked troubled.  
 “You sure?”  
 “Yeah. Don’t worry about it.”  
 “I just wish I could have done something, had I known…”  
 Takua put a hand on Jaller’s shoulder. He stared him straight in the face. “It’s totally cool. You don’t have to feel bad. And…thanks for worrying about me.”  
Jaller’s face softened, and the two laughed. Takua punched Jaller’s arm, and Jaller punched Takua’s arm in return, twice as hard.  
“Ah, careful! There’s a bruise there!”  
“Sorry,” Jaller laughed.

  
 Turaga Vakama exited his hut, and the two, along with a whole bunch of Matoran that had gathered in the same area, jumped to their feet. The Turaga stepped forward, closely followed by the tall figure of Tahu the Toa of Fire.  
 He was nearly twice the height of a Matoran, and a good few feet taller than Turaga Vakama. He was clad in striking red armor and carried a long sword with a sharp-looking blade carved in the shape of leaping flames. He had striking orange eyes. Though his posture was as triumphant as Takua pictured a Toa-hero’s posture being, there was a look on his face that was a mixture of confusion and hesitation.  
 Turaga Vakama cleared his throat to speak, and the crowd of Matoran quieted almost immediately. Toa Tahu looked above the crowd, at something in the distance no one could see but him.  
 “Gathered residents of Ta-Koro, I’m pleased to officially announce the arrival of the Toa of Fire, Tahu!” Some Matoran applauded, some cheered, and some whispered excitedly to the Matoran next to them. Takua clapped modestly, as Jaller stared in awe at the newcomer. Toa Tahu continued to stare straight ahead, like he was afraid of looking the crowd in the eye.  
 “We bid him a whole-hearted welcome, and look forward to witnessing his part in the great destiny this island holds for him and his comrades!” Turaga Vakama said with fervor, and the Matoran crowd applauded again, this time with twice the enthusiasm as before. The elder met Takua’s eyes for a second, then gestured for him to come forward. He did as he was told.  
 “This is also a great opportunity to announce that now that the prophecy is being fulfilled as we speak, we and everyone on this island will be experiencing much more important history that will need vigorous recording!” The Turaga put a hand on Takua’s shoulder. “Our very own Takua the Chronicler, will be tasked with witnessing and writing about the heroic deeds of the Toa in their battle against the forces of darkness itself!”  
 There was more moderate applause, but Takua heard Jaller cheer his name. He felt a bit warmer, and more confident. A smile spread across his face, and he straightened his posture just a bit more. Turaga Vakama turned Takua around to face him.

  
 “Takua the Chronicler, will you accept this task?”  
 Takua was overwhelmed for a moment. It was as if his life was finally beginning. Things were finally happening. He took in a deep breath, preparing his answer.  
 “Yes, Turaga Vakama. I will do all I can to preserve the great legacy of the Toa of Mata Nui.”  
 “Wonderful,” the Turaga said, smiling a wrinkled smile, “It is settled. In due time, Toa Tahu will have to seek out his fellow Toa. And from there, the journey towards awakening the Great Spirit can begin!” More applause erupted from the crowd. Takua joined in as well, glancing sideways at Toa Tahu.

  
 The Toa of Fire was looking around at all the faces in the crowd now. His brow was less furrowed, his expression less confused and overwhelmed. He slowly drew his sword, and drove the blade into the ground, getting down on one knee. The applause quieted as he bowed his head. With a voice like a noble, roaring flame, he spoke for the first time since the Matoran first saw him.  
 “I promise to protect this village and this island to the best of my ability, even at the cost of my life.” He rose slowly and sheathed his sword. There was yet another round of applause as Matoran gathered around him, asking questions and admiring his armor. Takua almost laughed out loud at the look on Tahu’s face as the crowd of Matoran pushed each other and fought to the front in an effort to talk to him.

  
 As the Toa made an attempt to address as many Matoran as he could, Turaga Vakama turned back to Takua, with an air of pride.  
 “I hope you know that we’re all counting on you. Everything that happens from now on is the most important to the island’s history. We can learn a lot, about the Toa and ourselves.”  
 “I understand, Turaga,” Takua said, nodding respectfully. The Turaga gave a hearty chuckle, and patted the young Chronicler on the head.  
 “You really are the best person for the job. I wouldn’t have anyone else in your position, and that is the truth.” With a smile, the Turaga retreated back to his hut. Takua stood in the same place for a few long moments, his mind blocking out all the outside excitement happening around Toa Tahu just a few feet away.

_So much has happened in the past few days. Things are changing so quickly. With the threat of a great enemy, and the arrival of new heroes come an air of danger and excitement. Every Matoran can feel it; this is the beginning of something bigger than us, perhaps bigger than the whole island._   
_I am Takua the Chronicler. I was tasked with the recording of the great deeds of the Toa heroes. I will recount all their triumphs, their defeats, and their ultimate overthrow of the still yet-to-be-seen master of darkness. And I will uncover the secrets this island has to offer._


	4. Six Heroes

_I’ve accompanied Toa Tahu to the Great Temple. Turaga Vakama told him that it’s the most likely place the other Toa will be. Toa Tahu hasn’t said much, but I have noticed a lot about his character while making our way to Kini-Nui. His sword is nearly always at the ready, as if there’s an enemy lurking behind every rock, branch, or weed. He once tripped on a tree root, and in a fit of annoyance, he burned the whole tree down._   
_That only happened once, though. I’m sure with the stress of a new environment, and the expectations of several hundred strangers that he’ll save a world he barely knows, there will be some outbursts of frustration. I’m not quick to judge._   
_One thing I will say is that Toa Tahu is not without an air of nobility. He did protect me from a large nui-jaga scorpion we spotted at one point in our journey. He sent out a warning flare from his sword, scaring it away. Then after making sure I was okay, we continued on._

  
_Now at Kini-Nui, I’ve had the privilege of meeting the other five Toa. I hardly know which one to start with._   
_When Toa Tahu and I first arrived, three others were already there. The first to greet us was Gali, the Toa of Water. The tall silver-haired Toa moves with grace, like the flowing of ocean waves. She carries a pair of large curved hook-like weapons and wears blue armor. She seems highly intelligent, and does her best to be kind to others. When I say, “she does her best,” I mean that she gets pushed a bit sometimes. Tahu once interrupted her when she was talking and she flashed a look at him that could kill. I wouldn’t want that kind of anger directed at me._

  
_Next was the lithe, green-clad Toa of Air, Lewa. A friendly enough guy, he never stops smiling and has enough energy to fuel an entire swarm of gukko birds. He carries a long battleaxe, which looks light and sharp enough to cut through the air itself. After greeting Tahu and I, he actually did a standing back flip onto the top of the suva. Gali gently scolded him for standing on a sacred artifact, and he obediently front-flipped back to the ground. Every one of his movements seems to trigger a rough breeze._

  
_Sitting off to the side was Onua, the Toa of Earth. He seemed in a meditative state at first, but gave Tahu and I a warm greeting when we approached. He has large, claw-like weapons that look good for both digging and slashing enemies. He’s incredibly muscular, and his voice seems to shake the ground itself, that is when he decides to speak. He often waits for others to speak first, and adds in his own thoughts when he feels they are needed._

  
_After getting acquainted, soon the last two Toa arrived together. Toa Pohatu, the Toa of Stone, shouted a hello to all of us, while Kopaka, the Toa of Ice said nothing. Toa Pohatu is friendly in just about every way. His friendliness seems to match his impressive athleticism; he can kick a boulder the size of a Matoran thousands of feet into the air! He has a pair of thick, steel-plated boots on that protect his feet when he pulls a stunt like that. He’s also the one who introduced Kopaka to everyone for him._

  
_Kopaka carries a long sword like Tahu’s, but the blade is straight and the color of ice-coated steel. He has one icy blue eye; the other is what looks like a cybernetic eye that glows red. It clicks and whirrs as it scans his surroundings. Kopaka is cool and calm as a snowy field, though I’ve caught vibes of pure irritation directed at Toa Tahu. As Tahu began giving the group orders about their next course of action, I noticed his icy blue eye staring at the Toa of Fire, looking annoyed._

  
_I’m thinking that initial feelings of hostility would be normal for a group of complete strangers coming together on an island they don’t know. I’m sure that once all of them are acquainted, things will calm down._

 Takua stopped writing and began really listening to the Toa’s interactions. At that moment, they all agreed that they needed to decide their first step to helping the island.  
 “Now that we’ve all been introduced, we should go back to our villages. Our first priorities should be protecting the Matoran there,” Tahu was saying. All the Toa listened, but both Gali and Kopaka expressed impatience with the Toa of Fire.  
 “Hold on,” Gali said, putting her hand up in a gesture of silence, “We were just brought together, and now you want to split up immediately?”  
 “Well, why not? We only need to be together when we confront this Makuta, right?” Tahu said. Kopaka snorted in disbelief. “What’s your problem?” said the Toa of Fire, directed at the Toa of Ice.  
 “Gali may have a valid point,” Kopaka said in a cool voice.  
 “Why? We’ll be more effective against rahi attacks at each village if each Toa is in a village, don’t you think?"  
 “I for one think that the rahi is not the biggest problem on our hands,” Gali said, folding her arms, “We need to find out why they’re attacking and go after whatever is making them do it.”  
 Tahu didn’t act like he heard her. “Who here thinks we should split up?”

  
 Much to Gali’s visible dismay, Lewa, Pohatu, and Onua all raised their hands.  
 “Sorry, Gali, but I think we should go back to our villages,” Lewa said sheepishly, “What if the next rahi attack happens while we’re off seek-finding?”  
 “That’s true,” Onua added, “remember Ta-Koro was attacked about a day ago. It could happen to any one village at any time.”  
 “But if we find the source of the rahi’s savagery, we can prevent future attacks from happening,” Gali frowned. Takua almost spoke up, but suddenly felt small among all these powerful beings and forgot what it was he wanted to say.  
 “But for all we know, one or several of our villages could be under threat right now,” Pohatu said. He walked over to Gali and patted her on the shoulder. “Your plan is a good one, but I think we need to assess the situations in each village before we go for the ‘source’.”

  
 Annoyance faded slightly from Gali’s face. She did flash a glare in Tahu’s direction before saying, “Alright, I suppose that’s fair.”  
 “Then it’s settled. We’ll build up sufficient defense for our villages, and then we’ll go ahead with the Toa of Water’s plan,” Tahu declared, which coaxed a tiny smile from Gali. “Toa, move out!”  
 As the Toa began to disperse, Takua readied himself to leave as well. Then he noticed Kopaka approach Tahu. Tension thickened the air between them as Kopaka leaned close to Tahu’s face, with an eye like a chip of ice.  
 “Don’t ever order me around like that,” the Toa of Ice hissed. Tahu sniffed, rolling his eyes. Kopaka practically glided away, ruffling Tahu’s hair with a cold breeze. Takua shivered slightly, and then ran up to Tahu’s side.

  
 “Hey, Chronicler,” Tahu said.  
 “Yes, Toa Tahu?”  
 “You should go to another village.”  
 “Why?”  
 “Turaga Vakama said you needed to chronicle the deeds of the Toa, right?”  
 “Yeah…?”  
 “Well I think you’ve spent enough time with me. Go with another Toa and record the goings-on in their village. Makes sense, doesn’t it?”  
 “I guess so,” Takua said, adjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder.  
 “Don’t worry, I’ll assure Turaga Vakama of your safety,” Tahu smirked. Takua grinned back.  
 “Okay. Thank you, Toa,” he said, bowing slightly. He saw Toa Gali in the distance, heading towards Ga-Koro. “Toa of Water! Wait!” he called, racing away from Tahu’s side.

  
 Gali turned at the sound of his voice, smiling pleasantly. A breeze rustled through her silver hair. It shone even in the dim, clouded light of day.  
 “As the Chronicler, it’s my job to record the heroic deeds of the Toa. If you don’t mind, I’d like to accompany you to your village,” Takua said, a bit surprised at himself for speaking so formally. It seemed more fitting for the Toa of Water somehow.  
 “Well, then. Shall we?” Gali gestured for him to follow. And the two began to walk. For most of the way, they discussed Ga-Koro. Gali had only visited it briefly, so Takua described it in more detail for her.  
 “Did you know they have a great astronomer? Her name’s Nixie. She knows every constellation, and as charted every one of them! She’s actually the one that came up with the Matoran calendar.”  
 “Sounds impressive,” Gali said, “By the way, what kind of Matoran are you?”

  
 “Oh, I’m a Ta-Matoran,” Takua said. A momentary look of confusion crossed the Toa of Water’s face, nearly stopping Takua in his tracks. Before he could form a question, Gali spoke.  
 “Sorry, I suddenly thought of something else,” she laughed softly and continued walking. Takua hesitated for a few steps, but rushed to catch up to her once again.  
They walked for a ways without saying anything to each other. They were approaching the beach when Gali spoke up again.  
 “This might sound a bit strange…” the Toa of Water began. Takua left her side and faced her, not sure what to anticipate. “…But I can sense something within you.”  
Takua wasn’t able to respond in any way.  
 “I know, it’s strange,” Gali continued. She knelt down in front of Takua, placing her hands on either side of his head. She closed her eyes. Takua saw a series of images flash in his mind: a beach, a silver canister, Ga-Koro and its residents along with Turaga Nokama, its leader. He also caught flashes of emotions: confusion, wonder, and a sense of duty.  
 “What was that?” Takua exclaimed as Gali stood up once again.  
 “I thought so. You have a special connection with Toa,” Gali mused, in a whisper of awe.  
 “What—how—me? How do you know? A—a connection?” Takua was learning more about himself every day, but he felt more lost than before.  
 “I can’t explain it. I just knew somehow,” Gali said, shrugging. Takua looked down at his own hands and back up at the Toa of Water. Gali looked out wistfully into the horizon over the ocean. “Whenever you need any one of us, you’re capable of finding us. And if you’re in danger,” she turned back to him, gazing at him with her bright blue eyes, “You can call us no matter where we are.”

  
 Takua had no words for her; he had thousands of questions, but was too confused to ask any of them. He forgot about his dilemma when a Ga-Matoran ran up to the two of them in a panic. It was Macku, Hahli’s friend.  
 “Oh, Takua! And Toa of Water! We’ve got a huge problem!” Macku panted.  
 “What is it?” Gali asked, all her muscles tensing.  
 “T-Tarakava lizards,” Macku said between shallow breaths, “two of them. They s-sunk Turaga Nokama’s hut, and nearly the wh-whole village was in there!”  
 Gali glanced at Takua, needing clarification.  
 “They’re huge creatures, Takua explained quickly, “Large forelegs, excellent swimmers. And they bite hard.”  
 Gali unsheathed her twin hook blades. “Then let’s not waste any more time.”

  
 When the three of them arrived at the village, half the huts were smashed, and portions had sunk into the ocean. One tarakava was swimming in circles around a lily pad platform, just below the surface. And the other was chasing after three helpless Ga-Matoran, swiping at them with its massive front paws.  
 Gali leaped forward, landing in front of the fleeing Ga-Matoran. The tarakava skidded to a stop mere feet away from her. Taking advantage of the animal’s distraction, the three Ga-Matoran fled towards the beach. The tarakava swiped at the Toa of Water, who leaped over the creature’s head, landing on its back. She sliced at the back of its neck; her hook blades cut easily through its tough scaly hide. The tarakava screeched.  
 While Gali fought, Macku pulled Takua away from the scene. She led him to the edge of a lily pad platform, pointing down into the water.

  
 “That’s where the Turaga’s hut sank. They could be at the bottom by now.”  
 “What should we do?” Takua asked, flinching as he heard another slicing sound in the distance. Gali’s hook blades had met another target.  
 “There’s a pump system that keeps water out of each individual hut. The tarakava broke a piece off the one on Turaga Nokama’s hut. We need the missing piece to fix it,” Macku explained hurriedly.  
 “Okay, I’ll look for the part, you look for the hut. We’ll both surface in exactly a minute.”  
 Macku nodded and dove nimbly into the ocean. Takua jumped in after her.  
 He swam down as far as he could, air bubbles blocking most of his vision. He bobbed about just above the sea floor, kicking up sand trying to find any large piece of metal. His hand hit something hard just as his breath started running out. He swam to the surface directly above the thing on the sea floor, surfacing and taking in gulps of air. Macku surfaced a few meters away.  
 “I think I found something!” Takua called to her.  
 “Great! I think I found the hut! Hurry and bring it here!” She called back. Takua dove down again, going straight down to the hard piece of metal. Brushing sand side, he dug the object out, and hauled it to the surface again, kicking hard. Gripping the object with both hands, he kicked his legs out, heading towards Macku, who was treading water.  
 As he approached, Macku grabbed the other end of the object, quickly examining it.  
 “That’s the part! Let’s get down there,” Macku said. She and Takua went down under once again. They swam together, carrying the metal piece of the water pump between them. Soon they reached the sunken hut. Its front entrance was sealed tight, but with a twinge of sympathy Takua could imagine the huddled Ga-Matoran and their Turaga inside, slowly suffocating.  
 Around the back of the hut was a metal pipe system, with a piece missing the same size as the part Takua found. He helped Macku slide it into place, locking it in place with metal brackets. She threw a switch, and giant bubbles exploded from underneath the hut. Takua could feel the vibration in the water. He and Macku swam upwards as the hut began to rise to the surface after them.  
 When Takua surfaced once again, he pulled himself onto a platform. Macku came up next to him. As he waited for his heart to slow, he watched as Gali forced a severely wounded tarakava into the water. It swam away, defeated. Bubbles disturbed the surface of the water near Takua and Macku, and the Turaga’s hut burst through the surface of the water. It settled, once again bobbing on the surface where it belonged.

  
 The entrance to the hut slid open, and out came a flood of Ga-Matoran, some panicked, some relieved, and some a mixture of both. Turaga Nokama exited last, looking slightly harried but otherwise unharmed. She offered condolences to a few of the more traumatized villagers, and Takua couldn’t help but admire the old woman’s grace in the aftermath of such a dire situation.  
 Hahli burst from the crowd to embrace Macku, nearly knocking them both into the water. Macku hugged her friend back, laughing with relief. Takua smiled at the scene, taking a deep breath and sighing heavily. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Gali breaking through the surface of the water in the distance.  
 “Is everyone all right?” she called to Takua.  
 “Yeah, looks that way!”  
 Excited cheers rang out from the crowd of Ga-Matoran, directed at the Toa of Water. Before Gali could respond, she was yanked back underwater by an unseen force.  
 “No!” Macku yelped. Takua’s blood went cold. It must have been the other tarakava, the one that was just circling when they arrived.  
 Bubbles popped on the surface like the ocean was boiling in the spot where Gali disappeared. Everyone at the scene seemed to hold their breath as the bubbles stopped completely.  
 A few agonizing minutes passed, before a huge pillar of water burst upward, flinging the tarakava far into the distance. At its greatest height, the water pillar paused in midair for a second before collapsing back into the sea. From that spot, Toa Gali leapt out of the water in a long, graceful arc. After a quick front-flip, she landed on a platform behind the astonished Ga-Matoran crowd. There was a collective gasp, followed by excited applause.

  
 Matoran gathered around Gali in admiration. Takua heard Turaga Nokama say, “Thank you, great Toa.” Gali blushed slightly, but took the praise professionally.  
 “I was doing my job, that’s all. I’m just glad all of you are safe,” she said, sheathing her hook blades behind her back.  
 Though it was still cloudy out, Takua could have sworn the sky brightened just a bit.

_With the legendary Toa-heroes on our side, we have a fighting chance against the crazy rahi attacks, and maybe even against Makuta. There may be hope for Mata Nui—the island and the Great Spirit yet._


	5. Deeds of the Toa

_After witnessing Gali’s successful defense of Ga-Koro from the tarakava, I traveled all over Mata Nui. I’ve witnessed firsthand the sheer power the Toa possess. In Po-Koro, Toa Pohatu managed to collapse several hostile Nui-jaga scorpion nests. He also kicked up a sandstorm that buried them in seconds. As of now, Po-Koro is safe._

_I also ran into an Onu-Matoran mining crew that was in the process of digging a tunnel to the outskirts of Le-Koro when we were attacked by a large swarm of Nui-Rama, giant flying insects and my least favorite beasts on the island. One Onu-Matoran, a digger named Taipu, was carried off by one of them. Toa Onua and Toa Lewa both appeared on the scene, wielding their weapons. As Onua slashed at the Nui-Rama with his digging claws from the ground, Lewa leapt from tree to tree, slicing the beasts with his axe. After driving the remainder of the swarm off, all of us discovered a hidden nesting area underground where Nui-Rama had been carrying unsuspecting Le-Matoran. They, along with Taipu, were trapped in large nests nestled high up in the walls of a large cavern. Those walls were too slick from underwater stream flows for the Matoran to climb down. As Toa Lewa swooped down, using a strong air current to carry all of them back to the surface, Onua sent tremors up the walls, collapsing the Nui-Rama nests._

_Later, I traveled to a Ta-Koro outpost on the border between the fire village and Ko-Koro. Unfortunately, the outpost had been attacked and several Ta-Matoran guardsmen were killed. I ran into a Ko-Matoran named Kopeke, who was half-buried in rubble from the wrecked outpost. After digging him out, he told me that a muaka cat was responsible._

_We ran into the nasty beast in the Drifts, the snowy plains on Mount Ihu, where thankfully Toa Kopaka came, stabbing at it with his sword. When he’d stunned the creature enough, Toa Kopaka collapsed the ice underneath it, sending it down a cliff._

_I stayed the night in Ko-Koro. In the morning, Kopeke and I were summoned by Turaga Nuju. The leader of Ko-Koro is a peculiar one; he had renounced the Matoran language long ago and instead only speaks in some complex bird language. It consists of mostly clicks and whistles. A friend of mine, a Ko-Matoran named Matoro, is Turaga Nuju’s timid but intelligent interpreter._

_Through good ol’ Matoro, Turaga Nuju told me that the time was drawing near when the Toa will have to face Makuta head-on. And while they are in Makuta’s lair, the surface will be unprotected. It’s up to the Matoran to protect Kini-Nui from the infected swarms of Rahi while the Toa venture underground to face the Master of Darkness. That’s when I came up with a plan. I would gather the most talented and brave Matoran I know to defend our home._

 After leaving Ko-Koro, Takua brought Kopeke with him to gather other willing Matoran from the other villages to aid them. Soon he had gathered five other Matoran: Kapura, Ta-Koro’s deputy Captain of the Guard, Tamaru, Turaga Matau’s right hand and the best navigator in Le-Koro, Taipu, the strongest Matoran in Onu-Koro and miner, Hafu, renowned builder from Po-Koro, and Macku, personal assistant to Turaga Nokama. All of them stood just outside the Great Temple in front of one of its many sets of staircases. Takua surveyed them all, beaming in pride. In the back of his mind he wished Jaller was there, but he knew the Captain of the Guard had to stay in Ta-Koro to hold down the fort. Despite this, Takua knew he couldn’t have picked a better group of Matoran.

 “Okay, listen up!” He commanded, and all of them turned their full attention to him. “On this day, the Toa will be facing our great enemy, the dark and mysterious Makuta! It’s our job to defend the Great Temple from any threat while they’re underground!” He paused, a slight hum in the air reaching his ears. He ignored it.

 “My friends!” Takua continued, “Mata Nui himself is counting on us! Let’s not disappoint him! On this day, you shall all be known as members of the Chronicler’s Company!” All the gathered Matoran shouted and cheered in agreement. Takua glanced back to the Great Temple staircase, and could see the six Toa beginning to ascend to the great shrine at its center. The humming in the air slowly grew louder. Takua turned to Tamaru.

 “Is the Gukko Bird Force on standby?”

 The Le-Matoran nodded, “The bird-riders are ready, Chronicler.”

 “Great. Send a flare when I say,” Takua turned to Taipu, “What about the force Nuparu assembled?”

 The Onu-Matoran lifted up a large nearby boulder without much effort. “I’ll signal them when the time is right. Shake up the ground a bit, you know?” Taipu kept the boulder resting on one of his shoulders, ready to throw. Impressed, Takua nodded to him.

 He grasped the extra Ta-Koro guard staff Jaller let him borrow, feeling the ominous hum in the air begin to vibrate in his ears. He could see the Toa reach the top of the Kini-Nui stairs, and at the same time, he could see swarms of Nui-Rama in the distance, getting closer to the assembled Matoran. They all grouped together; gripping spears and makeshift weapons from each of their villages. Tamaru carried a crude flare cannon, readying a flint stone to light it up at Takua’s signal. Macku nudged Takua’s shoulder.

 “Can’t wait to tell Hahli about this when I get home. She really wanted to come,” she said, bouncing with excitement.

 “I’ll be sure to invite her next time,” Takua joked.

 Excitement and anticipation dissipated in mere seconds as the Nui-Rama swarm descended on the Chronicler’s Company. They slashed about the air above them while the Matoran defended themselves. Macku brought down a Nui-Rama with a powerful swing of her Ga-Koro spear. Taipu was swinging around a mining pickaxe with one hand while still holding the boulder on his opposite shoulder. His pickaxe caught a Nui-Rama’s eye, making it spiral out of control and hit another in the swarm. The other Matoran fought hard as well, swinging weapons, throwing rocks, and shouting over the hellish buzz of the swarm.

 As Takua jabbed at a Nui-Rama with his staff, movement in the bushes off to the side caught his eye. Much to his dismay, a few Nui-Jaga scorpions emerged, snapping their pinchers and flicking their tails. Absolute mayhem ensued. The Nui-Rama swarm was not letting up; in fact, the swarm was getting thicker over the heads of the Chronicler’s Company. Through a flurry of insect wings, Takua swung his staff about, trying to find Tamaru. Macku was now pinned to the ground underneath a particularly large Nui-Rama and Kopeke was running like mad, dodging the poisonous tail of a Nui-Jaga scorpion. The other matoran were having trouble as well.

 “Tamaru! Tamaru!” Takua screamed, straining his throat. He tripped on something and fell on his face. He recovered quickly, flipping himself over to see that Tamaru was what he tripped on. The Le-Matoran was hunched over his flare cannon, trying to light it as Nui-Rama circled around him, snapping at him with their mandibles again and again. Takua leaped to the rescue. “Tamaru, I’ll hold them off! Just get that thing lit!”

 “You got it, Chronicler!” Tamaru shouted, muffled from the constant buzzing. Takua batted Nui-Rama off the Le-Matoran. He managed to hit one in the face hard enough with his staff to make it crash to the ground in a heap of legs and wings. But with every one he and the others struck down, more came to take their places.

 “I got it!” Tamaru screamed happily. Takua hit another Nui-Rama and turned to see the Le-Matoran holding the lit flare cannon, pointing it upwards. After a few agonizingly long seconds, the flare fired and managed to pass through the cloud of Nui-Rama to explode into the sky high above. Le-Matoran mounted on large Gukko birds emerged from the trees, led by Kongu, the Captain of the Gukko Force. The great birds bit and slashed at the Nui-Rama, effectively driving them back. As the aerial battle raged above, the Matoran on the ground now had to defend against more Nui-Jaga scorpions. Takua dodged and rolled, narrowly avoiding a stinger tail.

 “Taipu! It’s time!” The Onu Matoran hoisted the boulder above his head, and hurled it into the ground. Everything shook for a few seconds, temporarily confusing the Nui-Jaga scorpions. In the distance, Takua saw the ground begin to break up and several large Ussal crabs ridden by Onu-Matoran wielding battleaxes dug up to the surface. The crabs began snapping their claws at the scorpions while their riders swung their axes. Takua felt a spark of hope, but at the same time he wondered how long the Chronicler’s Company could hold out, and if it would be long enough for the Toa to finish their task underground. He snapped out of his thoughts when another Nui-Jaga stinger flew straight for his face. He dove to the side, landing awkwardly on his shoulder. The scorpion hissed at him, its pinchers dreadfully close to his head.

 An Ussal crab, one without a rider, scuttled to the scorpion attacking Takua and began snapping at it. The Ussal chattered angrily, catching the end of the scorpion’s tail in its claw. After a few minutes of strain, with the Nui-Jaga trying to pull its tail back, the Ussal crab snipped off the poisonous tip of the tail. The Nui-Jaga screeched in pain, swinging its pinchers wildly. The Ussal crab was unable to dodge and got knocked to the side. Takua lunged at the scorpion without hesitation. He hit the Nui-Jaga in the face with his staff, and blocked its swinging pinchers. He rolled out of the way from another potential blow, and jumped onto the scorpion’s back. He smacked it on the head repeatedly until the scorpion was in a blind, raging frenzy. He hit once more, and the Nui-Jaga collapsed to the ground, stunned.

 Takua leaped off the creature, and raced to the side of the Ussal crab that helped him. It wasn’t hurt too badly, but it seemed a bit dazed. It looked at him with bleary, confused beady eyes. It chattered gently. Takua felt a rush of affection for the creature. He put a hand on its head, petting it gently. He had no time to react when something hit him hard in the back of the head. Everything went pitch black in a millisecond.


	6. A Master of Shadows

 Takua was suddenly underground. And he was following the Toa down a long dark tunnel, covered in Matoran symbols that glowed green. From what he could make out, most of the symbols represented omens of danger and destruction. On one wall was a mural of what looked like large crab-like creatures—not Ussals—but ferocious beasts with sharp mandibles and claws covered in spikes.

  
 All the Toa seemed on edge. Tahu gripped his fire sword so hard his knuckles were white. Onua scanned the area constantly. Lewa wasn’t jumping around like normal; he was taking smaller steps and holding his axe close to his chest. Gali kept her hand against the tunnel wall as if she was afraid it would disappear. Pohatu was shivering. Kopaka took up the rear and was the only one who seemed calm, based on his stony expression. His sword was sheathed, but he kept one hand on the hilt as he walked.

  
 So, this was a vision. Or maybe it was a dream. Takua couldn’t see himself, and it wasn’t as if it would be too dark to see himself; it was as if his body was gone and he was just a spirit floating alongside the Toa.

  
 The tunnel ended, opening up to a large cavern covered in ancient writing. Somehow a thick fog hung overhead. There were several large openings to other tunnels in the cavern walls. All the Toa came to a stop. Though he wasn’t sure if he was really there or not, Takua felt a sickening feeling of dread in his chest. Gali took a few steps ahead of the group, and turned to face them all.

  
 “I don’t know what we’ll be facing before we even get to Makuta, but we should use the most powerful ability that we have,” she said.

  
 “What would that be?” Lewa asked with a slight tremor.

  
 “Turaga Nokama told me about it once. We have the power of unity.”

  
 “Not this again,” Tahu groaned. Gali’s eyes practically flashed as she glared at him.

  
 “I mean actual, physical unity,” she hissed.

  
 “What does that mean?” asked Pohatu.

  
 “We have the power to merge into two beings: the Being of Wisdom and the Great Warrior. Wairuha and Akamai.”

  
 The Toa all looked at each other, and then back at Gali.

  
 “I may have heard Turaga Nuju mention a phenomenon like that,” Kopaka said. As always his voice seemed to pierce silence like an icy needle.

  
 “Well, let’s try it! It can’t hurt, and we certainly could use anything we can against whatever’s down here,” Pohatu said, “Okay, Gali. What do we do?”

  
 “First, Lewa and Kopaka come stand next to me. Onua, Pohatu, and Tahu should stand near each other as well.” All the Toa did as Gali said. “Now join hands.” Tahu reluctantly took Onua and Pohatu’s hands, and the others did the same.

  
 “Now merge your minds. Focus on one another and then combine into one,” Gali said almost in a whisper. She, Lewa and Kopaka all closed their eyes and their bodies began to shimmer. They seemed to blur out of existence, then suddenly a tall, lithe giant rose to his feet where the three of them once stood. The new being had white hair like Kopaka’s, with a long braid like Gali’s. His eyes were bright, one was a combination of Lewa’s forest green, Kopaka’s ice blue, and Gali’s deep ocean blue. The other was a more organic version of Kopaka’s cybernetic eye, with a red iris whirring and clicking as it gathered intel on his surroundings. He was lean and muscular, clad in silver armor and carried a long staff, which was a spiky hybrid of all three of the Toa’s weapons.

  
 “Impressive,” Onua breathed. Pohatu grinned and Tahu stared in astonishment.

  
 “Okay, let’s do this,” Tahu said. He, Pohatu, and Onua closed their eyes and they too shimmered and disappeared, with a taller figure appearing in their place. His hair was curly like Tahu’s, but jet black like Onua’s. His eyes were earthy and determined, a combination of Pohatu’s brown eyes and Onua’s green ones. There was a ring of orange around the outside of the iris that could only have come from Tahu. He was bulky and muscular, and wore silver armor to match his lean brother. He carried a large sword with a clawed hilt and wore silver-reinforced boots.

  
 Takua felt the new beings’ confusion. He could practically see the birth of new consciousness right before his eyes. The two titans looked down at themselves, then at each other.

  
 “I…am…Wairuha,” the lean, white haired giant breathed, as if with brand new lungs.

  
 “I am…Akamai,” the muscular giant said in an answer to his brother.

  
 The two giants drew their weapons, admiring the gleam of their blades in the dim light.

  
 “We must proceed, brother,” Wairuha said, gesturing for the other to follow.

  
 “That’s right,” Akamai agreed, giving his sword a few practice swings, “We have beasts to slaughter. A Master of Shadows to slay.”

  
 “Don’t be so hasty,” Wairuha said gently, “Our focus should be on protecting the island, not mindless violence.”

  
 “I’ll argue that ‘mindless violence’ is our means to protecting the island, brother,” Akamai chuckled, and strode towards the nearest tunnel entrance. Wairuha sighed, then followed close behind, gripping his staff tightly.

  
 Takua trailed behind the two titans, feeling smaller than when he stood next to the Toa. He wasn’t sure if his heart was pounding or not, or if he was even breathing. What a strange and amazing dream, but he was sure it would soon turn into a nightmare.

  
 They walked through the narrow tunnel for a while before it ended and branched out in opposite directions. The walls and ground shook. The scratching of claws against stone reached the ears of the giants. They stood back to back, each facing down a separate branching tunnel, weapons at the ready.

  
 “Whatever you are, come out and face us!” Akamai growled, gritting his teeth.

  
 Wairuha stayed silent, listening intently. His cybernetic eye clicked and glowed red out of its pupil. “There are approximately six large creatures coming from either side of the tunnel. Be ready, stay in control.”

  
 “You got it, big-brain,” Akamai joked. Wairuha cracked a small smile.

  
 Six large crabs, three in each tunnel, barreled towards the two titans. They all collided with the titans’ weapons, sending shockwaves through the air and causing some small cracks to form on the walls. With a booming battle cry, Akamai brought his sword down on one crab monster. The blade hit with a clang against the creature’s tough shell. The creature was stunned for a second, but snapped at the Great Warrior.

  
 Wairuha waited for the first crab to come within a foot of him, and leaped over it. He thrust his staff backwards, stabbing the creature from behind. He promptly pulled it out, and swung hard in front of him, swiping the other two crabs to the side. They crashed into the tunnel wall.

  
 Akamai managed to cut off the claws of one crab, and with a powerful kick sent another flying down the tunnel. The third came for him, but he brought down the tip of the blade into its back. The blade cracked the shell, and sank into the flesh underneath.

  
 Takua watched the battle unfold with undivided attention. Wairuha and Akamai had both managed to kill one crab each so far, and the other four appeared to get angrier. They chattered and hissed, and snapped their massive claws as they charged at the titans once again.

  
 “We should lead them out of the tunnel!” Wairuha shouted at his brother as one crab managed to slice into his arm with its claw. Akamai swung at a crab while another jabbed him in the back, knocking him forward onto his knees.

  
 “You got it!” Akamai leapt onto his feet and returned to the Being of Wisdom’s side. Together they sprinted out of the tunnel. Takua ghosted after them, hearing the scratching and hissing of the massive crabs behind him. Though they probably couldn’t hurt him, Takua still willed himself to go faster to avoid their snapping claws.

  
 Soon they were all back in the fog-filled cavern. With more room to fight, the titans jumped and flipped off the walls, simultaneously avoiding attacks and delivering hard blows on the remaining crab monsters. Before Takua knew it, the last four crabs lay on the floor dead. Akamai laughed triumphantly, shaking the crabs’ blood from his sword. Wairuha took a minute to scan the area. His eye clicked when he faced a particular tunnel entrance on the opposite side of the cavern.

  
 “The Master of Shadows is through there,” the Being of Wisdom said grimly. Akamai nodded to him.

  
 “Then let’s not waste any more time.”

  
 As the titans exited the chamber, Takua felt a stronger sense of dread creeping up inside him. The tunnel grew darker, with not even a line of glowing ancient glyphs to light the way. After some sharp turns and a few downward spirals, the tunnel ended in yet another cavern. Strangely enough, there were a few lightstones embedded in the walls, as if Makuta did it as a courtesy to his guests.

  
 As soon as the titans stepped into the chamber, their bodies began to shimmer and split. Akamai collapsed onto his knees, and Wairuha grasped either side of his own head, trying to keep balanced on his own feet. They both screamed and vanished into the air. In their place lay the six Toa heroes, groaning and dazed.

  
 “Well, that was something else,” Lewa chuckled, pushing himself up from the floor. Kopaka was already standing, and helped the Toa of Air onto his feet. The other Toa soon recovered and stood as well, blinking in wonder and confusion.

  
 “You could say that again,” Pohatu said, scratching the back of his head. Beside him Onua suddenly knelt to the floor, placing a palm on the cavern floor, listening.

  
 “Someone’s coming,” the Toa of Earth said, his voice grave.

  
 “Makuta?” Tahu asked, drawing out his fire sword and igniting the blade.

  
 Onua shook his head slowly, eyes shining with worry. “No, there are six of them.”

  
 Lewa gave a small gasp. The other Toa followed his pointing finger to the other side of the cavern, where six figures materialized in front of them. They all mirrored the Toa exactly, though all of them were grey-toned and had glowing red eyes.

  
 “Mata Nui,” Gali gasped, “They’re us.”

  
 Each Toa’s counterpart stood before them, peering into their doubles and grinning wickedly. The tense moment didn’t last long, since all six Shadow Toa struck at their counterparts at once with a resounding clang of metal against metal.

  
 Kopaka blocked a blow from his Shadow-self with his sword, then whipped the blade around and froze his opponent with a blast of ice. Shadow-Kopaka was frozen for a second before breaking free and shrugging off shards of ice with an air of nonchalance. Kopaka frowned, swinging his sword only to have it blocked by Shadow-Kopaka’s identical sword.

  
 Gali was trying to knock her Shadow-self down with powerful blasts of water, but her counterpart flipped and dodged her attacks with ease. Lewa’s Shadow-self hurled small tornadoes at the Toa of Air, who was gliding and bouncing off the walls, simultaneously dodging and attempting to redirect the tornadoes back at his Shadow-self. Onua was bringing down walls to bury his Shadow counterpart, but it kept punching its way out of the rubble. Pohatu and his Shadow-self were kicking boulders at each other. Tahu’s Shadow counterpart was hurling fireballs at him, and Tahu was doing his best to absorb them so they wouldn’t hit his fellow Toa.

  
 The battle carried on for nearly half an hour, and neither side gained the upper hand. Gali and her Shadow-self were at a standstill, each one waiting for the other to make the next move. Then one of Shadow-Pohatu’s boulders hit Shadow-Gali in the side of her head. Shadow-Gali collapsed to the floor, seemingly dead.  
Gali and Pohatu’s eyes met, and both of their faces broke into knowing smiles. As Pohatu jumped out of the way, Gali fired a torrent of water at Shadow-Pohatu, who was knocked backwards into the far wall of the cavern. Gali continued pelting Shadow-Pohatu, who sputtered and choked until he finally drowned. He slumped to the floor as well.

  
 Tahu caught sight of what just happened, taking a moment form fighting his Shadow-self. His eyes widened with understanding. He sprinted towards Shadow-Kopaka several yards away.

  
 “Watch out, Kopaka!” The Toa of Fire called as Kopaka jumped out of Tahu’s way. Tahu’s fire sword ignited and he hurled a large fireball at Shadow-Kopaka. The Shadow Toa of Ice melted to a puddle with no time to react. Immediately understanding the situation, Kopaka turned his attention to Shadow-Tahu. Kopaka blasted him with ice until he was completely encased. Unfortunately Shadow-Tahu’s sword began thawing the ice from the inside.

  
 As the Shadow Toa of Fire began stepping out of the melted ruins of his ice prison, a blast of water knocked him back again, dousing his flaming sword. Gali stepped forward, blasting him harder and harder until Shadow-Tahu couldn’t even manage to stand up. She kicked his sword away from him, then nodded to Kopaka. The Toa of Ice froze him again, and this time the Shadow Toa of Fire couldn’t, and didn’t, escape.

  
 The last two Shadow Toa were Lewa’s and Onua’s counterparts. Lewa created a torrent around Shadow-Onua, and then sucked out all the air until the Shadow Toa of Earth asphyxiated. Onua brought Earth from the floor up to Shadow-Lewa in the air, trapping him in pillars of dirt and rock. Onua brought the pillars down, dragging the Shadow Toa of Air with them and burying him alive. Each Shadow Toa fizzled out of existence like smoke in the wind.

  
 With all the Shadow Toa gone, the six heroes had a moment to catch their breaths. Takua wanted to be excited for their victory, but he knew it wasn’t over yet. The dread in his throat grew at the thought of Makuta waiting for them just around the next corner.

  
 “That was really smart, Gali,” Tahu was saying. Takua turned his attention back to the Toa. “Without you we’d probably still be fighting our own elements against our own elements.”

  
 “Thank you, Tahu,” Gali said, extremely pleased.

  
 “Makuta’s next,” Kopaka said grimly, and all the Toa fell silent. Tahu nodded to him.

  
 “Yes. So we should rest for just a moment. If anyone seriously hurt?” Tahu surveyed his team, and all mumbled that they were fine. “Okay then,” the Toa of Fire said, “We go forward. Stick together, no matter what we find around the corner.”

  
 Takua drifted after the six heroes, offering his first-ever prayer to Mata Nui that they’ll be safe. Or at least, as safe as they could be in the lair of the Master of Shadows himself. Suddenly a loud voice spoke to Takua, as if it were directly implanted into his mind.

  
  _Takua, watch closely what happens next. You must record every detail of it._

 It was Toa Gali’s voice. Now that Takua knew that Gali was the one giving him this vision, it seemed obvious. Concentrating, he sent a mental message back.

  
_You can count on me just as much as I can count on you and the other Toa. Please don’t get yourselves killed._

  
_That’s a promise, Chronicler_.

  
 Soon the Toa came upon yet another chamber, lit by just a few measly lightstones in the walls. The ceiling was high as the sky itself, and in its center was a swirling pillar of shadow energy. It moved like both water and smoke, and somehow shone like a dark star.

  
 The six Toa approached it slowly, readying their weapons. Tahu spoke up, his voice filling the chamber.

  
 “We are the Toa, Mata Nui’s chosen heroes! Show yourself, Makuta, and face us!”

  
 Nothing happened for a while. The Toa looked around. Takua could also see that there were no other exits other than the way they came in. Makuta had to be here. Suddenly, from the pillar of shadow energy emerged a small figure, no taller than Takua himself. He was dark, molded from the same energy as the pillar. Takua gasped silently.

  
 “A…Matoran?” Lewa whispered. Each Toa wore a similar look of confusion.

  
 The shadowy Matoran smiled with a set of too-sharp teeth. “So…you are the ones who threaten my domain,” he breathed in a voice far too deep and piercing than his appearance would suggest.

  
 Tahu took another bold step forward. “Makuta?”

  
 “Yessss,” the Matoran hissed, “I am he. The Master of Shadows, as your dear Turaga describe.”

  
 “But, you’re a matoran!” Tahu said, “How can you be a matoran?”

  
 “I can be anything. I am shadow itself; it can be molded into any shape,” Makuta’s matoran form began shifting and growing. He morphed into another Shadow-image of Tahu. Then he turned into Lewa, then Gali, and he cycled through them all before shifting back into a matoran.

  
 “That’s a nice trick,” Tahu taunted, seemingly unshaken by the mere fact that he was face-to-face with the Makuta, “But enough playing around. We’re here for a fight, and we’re leaving victorious.”

  
 Makuta chuckled, “I hate to disappoint you, but…you can’t harm me. You can’t even touch me.”

  
 “Yeah? What about this--?” Tahu thrust his sword at Makuta’s shadow-Matoran form, only for it to pass harmlessly through it. Makuta dissolved like smoke, reappearing above the Toa’s heads in front of the shadow-energy pillar.

  
 “Don’t expect a victory, Toa of Fire. You’ll only be left with disappointment.”

  
 Makuta’s matoran form split, swirled, and exploded outwards like the tendrils of a great black squid. Each tendril chased an individual Toa, scattering them in all directions. Takua held his breath as each Toa was overtaken and swallowed up.

  
 It was agony waiting for something to happen, but finally Takua saw six separate bursts of energy emerging from the swirling tendrils of darkness. All the elemental blasts of fire, water, earth, stone, air, and ice met at the pillar in the middle of the chamber. A crystalline substance formed from the combined energy, freezing the pillar in place. The energy blasts stopped. There was a moment of stillness. The Toa still didn’t emerge.

  
 The hunk of solid crystal exploded, and in one fluid motion the tendrils of darkness retreated into the shadow-pillar, which dissipated. The six Toa heroes were all on the ground, shaken but alive. They all raised their eyes to the ceiling, where the pillar was. The deep voice of Makuta whispered to all of them.

  
 “You cannot destroy darkness.”

  
 And it was over. At least for now.

  _It was a privilege and an honor to witness the combined power of the Toa, at least in spirit. After the vision ended, I awoke in the field where the Battle for Kini-Nui had just ended. There were some serious injuries among the Chronicler’s Company, but no casualties. The Toa returned from underground soon afterwards. They all seemed exhausted, but relieved that they had survived their very first Makuta encounter._

  
_As for what I have written earlier—about being doubtful about Makuta’s existence—I take it all back. It seems that at least some of the legends the Turaga tell us are true. There is a Master of Darkness. I’ve heard his voice. And he is a force to be reckoned with._

  
_The Toa have shown Makuta their power. But they haven’t won yet._

  
_It’s only been a month since their arrival, but I have complete faith in the Toa heroes. I believe they can banish Makuta and bring an era of peace to our island._


	7. The Next Phase

            The week after the Battle for Kini-Nui and the Toa’s first encounter with Makuta was filled with repairing and rebuilding all of the villages that were damaged by darkness-controlled rahi. Takua traveled all around the island helping in any way he could. When he found himself back in Ta-Koro, both Turaga Vakama and his fellow villagers greeted him warmly.

            The village elder put a hand on Takua’s shoulder, pride shining in his eyes.

            “Because of your brave deeds at Kini-Nui, I think it’s safe to say you stand with the Toa as one of the great heroes of Mata Nui,” the Turaga said. The Ta-Matoran around them cheered and Takua’s face grew hot.

            “Th-thank you, Turaga,” he stuttered, as his fellow villagers gathered around him, chattering and asking him questions.

            After everyone was done crowding him, talking about the Chronicler’s Company and the amazing feats of the Toa, everyone dispersed to continue with repairs to the village. Takua spotted Jaller, who stayed behind while the crowd left.

            “Hey, buddy!” Takua called happily, “It’s been a long time!”

            Jaller smirked, walking towards his friend. “I don’t think a few days counts as a ‘long time.’”

            “Well, it felt long to me!” Takua joked. Jaller slapped him on the back.

            “Aw, now _that_ warms my heart.”

            “I was just going to head out to Ga-Koro to check up on their repairs. Wanna come?”

            Jaller’s eyes lit up. “Hell yes!”

            “ _Someone’s_ eager,” Takua sneered, punching Jaller’s arm. Jaller punched back, twice as hard.

            “Shut up,” Jaller laughed and the two headed out Ta-Koro’s main gate.

            When they arrived at Ga-Koro, the Ga-Matoran were scurrying about, patching up the platforms and huts with thick leaves and reeds. By the time Takua turned to Jaller to say something, his friend had already run off with Hahli somewhere along the beach. Smiling to himself, Takua decided to look for Toa Gali.

            He found her in Turaga Nokama’s hut, where they were discussing the events that occurred underground. Gali seemed tense, with her fists clenched around her hook weapons. She didn’t look up, but her blue eyes flashed when Takua entered, like he had startled her and she was doing her best to hide it.

            “Ah, Chronicler!” Turaga Nokama smiled pleasantly, “What can we do for the Hero of Kini-Nui?”

            Takua laughed nervously. All this praise felt weird to him, and he was unsure if he’d ever get used to it. “Um, I was actually wondering if I could speak to Toa Gali for a moment.”

            “Of course, Chronicler,” Nokama said, “We have just finished our discussion anyway.”

            “Great. Um, Toa? May I have a word?”

            Toa Gali stood to her full height, and followed Takua out of the Turaga’s hut. He suddenly felt very small standing near her. They walked down the beachside, away from any eavesdropping workers.

            “I take it you saw everything?” Gali said after a long silence.

            “Yeah.”

            “Good.”

            Takua was unsure of what else to say. He felt like he had to tell her something, but he couldn’t begin to guess what it was. Gali still held on to her weapons, with white knuckles. Seeing her like this made Takua think there was something coming. Like this peacetime wasn’t going to last long.

            “Takua,” Gali started, and Takua waited for her to collect her thoughts, “I hope you are aware that this is far from over.”

            “Yeah, I mean, you didn’t _kill_ Makuta, right? He’s still around,” Takua said.

            “Yes. And I have a feeling that things are going to get worse soon.”

            “…Worse…?”

            “I’m afraid our confrontation with Makuta only angered him.”

            “What makes you say that? How do you know?”

            “It’s…just a feeling I have. Kind of silly, huh?” Gali chuckled quietly. Her knuckles seemed to get whiter.

            “No, not at all. You guys knocked him on his ass. He’s probably not happy about that.”

            Toa Gali burst out laughing, making Takua jump. “Chronicler, you are too much.” Her smile faded and she turned to Takua, boring her eyes into his. “But please be careful in the coming months. No matter what happens, you need to stay strong.”

            “Okay, sure,” Takua said, feeling nervous again. It seems that in the span of about a week, suddenly everyone expected a lot from him. He was always just an irresponsible, wandering Chronicler, always looking for stories and getting in the middle of the action. But now because of the Battle of Kini-Nui he was considered _among the great heroes_ , or whatever Turaga Vakama had said to him.

            “I’m not sure why yet, but I have a feeling that you are extremely important for the island,” Gali said. Takua shuffled his feet in the sand.

            “I am the keeper of our history, after all,” Takua joked. But Gali didn’t crack a smile this time. She was looking off into the distance, as if in a trance.

            “Be wary, Chronicler. Remember the value of your life.”

            Takua didn’t say a word. He stared out at the horizon, where the blue sea met the darkening purple-clouded sky. The waves crashed and ocean mist gently caressed his face. In an almost somber silence, Gali began to walk back towards the village. After another moment of staring at the ocean, Takua followed her.

            He joined Jaller and Hahli, who were hanging out on the beach just outside the village, talking and laughing. As he approached, he could hear Jaller telling a story about something stupid Takua did years ago. Hahli burst out laughing again. Takua wasn’t even angry; there was something about the bond between those two…

            “Oh, hey Takua!” Hahli chirped. Takua smiled at her.

            “What kept you? What were you and Toa Gali talking about?” Jaller asked.

            Takua lazily kicked at a small shell in the sand, trying to hide the fact that he was trembling slightly. “Not much, just about the battle and stuff.”

            “Some storyteller _you_ are,” Jaller said, “Chronicler." Hahli giggled.

            Takua managed a somewhat passable laugh.

            “Well, the sun’s going down,” Jaller sighed, “We should start heading back to Ta-Koro.”

            “Already?” Hahli said.

            “Yeah, unfortunately.”

            “Okay, well, it was great to see you! You too, Takua,” Hahli smiled.

            “Thanks, Hahli,” Takua said. He and Jaller left, passing through Ga-Koro to say goodbye to Turaga Nokama, Toa Gali, and Macku on the way. Jaller gave one last smile and wave to Hahli. Before they reached the first forked path that would lead them back to Ta-Koro, Takua stopped in his tracks.

            Jaller walked a few paces ahead of Takua, then turned to look at him.

            “What’s up?” his friend asked.

            “I want to check something out at Kini-Nui. Go ahead without me.”

            Jaller shrugged. “Alright. I’ll tell Turaga Vakama where you are so he knows where to send the search party for your body.”

            “Oh ho-ho, you are _hilarious_ ,” Takua scoffed. With a grin, he spun on his heel and began heading down the other path.

            “I’m serious, Takua, don’t get yourself killed or anything.”

            “A Chronicler’s gotta do what a Chronicler’s gotta do!” And with that, Takua entered the forest.

            The Great Temple emerged from the foliage sooner than Takua expected. His mind was in a fog, thinking about what Gali had said to him on the beach. About how important he was and all that. He sighed heavily.

            He approached the suva, and walked all around it. He had no idea how the Toa got underground. Did the suva open with all their power combined? If so, then he couldn’t do anything. He looked for a switch, a handle, _something._ Suddenly, with a rocky, grinding sound, the suva split into six equal parts which moved away from each other. There was a round platform on the ground in the center of the six parts.

            Takua hesitated, but decided to step onto the platform. With another grinding sound, the platform began to sink, taking him with it. He sank for a long time, or what felt like a long time. Everything was pitch black. Takua suddenly felt vulnerable, and very cold.

            He took a deep breath, puffing out his chest. He was the Chronicler. He lived for adventure and uncertainty. He began walking forward blindly. He wished with all his heart that he had thought to bring a lightstone with him.

            Soon a dim green light began illuminating the stone ground he walked on. And up ahead, he could see a vast wall, and a ceiling that had to be hundreds of feet high. The wall was covered in large spherical pods. Takua grew confused as he approached them. This wasn’t where the Toa were when they found the manas crabs, or where they fought Makuta. So where was he?

            The pods were close, and he was beginning to make out some strange forms inside of them. They were large, curled up in a ball, and he couldn’t make out any other details from outside the pods’ hard shells. Somewhere off to his right, he heard what sounded like shifting. Or wriggling. Perhaps both.

            He looked back at the pod in front of him. The strange shape inside twitched, and made a soft hissing sound. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he began to back away as slowly and silently as he could.

            Then something burst from one of the pods to his left, and he jumped violently back. The hissing grew louder, buzzing in his ears. More and more pods cracked loudly open. Takua was sprinting away now, not daring to get a good look at the creatures emerging from the wall.

            There was the sound of feet, skittering scraping scratching feet, and it prompted Takua’s legs to move faster. He was gasping hard. He didn’t know what those things were, and he was terrified of finding out. He ran in the general direction he came from until the dim green light faded and everything was black again. He hit a wall.

            The hissing and scraping continued towards him, and Takua felt a fresh wave of panic overtake him. He felt along the wall, gasping. Suddenly the platform he had come down here on began to rise. He ascended to the Great Temple, still panicked but at least a tiny bit relieved that he wasn’t underground anymore.

            As soon as the cloudy light of day gave him back his sight, Takua took off. He wasn’t sure what was coming, but he had to at least warn everyone to be on guard.

            Takua sprinted towards Le-Koro, which was a bit out of the way from his usual route to Ta-Koro, but it wasn’t too far from Kini-Nui, and he wanted to warn all the villages he could.

            He dodged branches, jumped over logs, and snapped twigs under his feet as he ran. Takua wasn’t much of a runner, but he had pure adrenaline as fuel. His throat was getting sore from his rapid, gasping breaths, and his chest was burning. But he knew he couldn’t stop. He kept imagining what creatures those pods underground contained, and what they could do to a matoran that crossed their path. None of those mental images were pretty.

            Eventually he came upon the Le-Koro landmarks: the two large trees marked with the symbol for air. He passed through them and soon reached the main gate, made entirely of intricately intertwined branches and vines. The Le-Koro guards let him in immediately, and he raced into the village.

            Turaga Matau, the leader of Le-Koro, came to greet him. “Chronicler, what’s the news? You seem rather panicky.” The village elder tried to keep a light-hearted tone, but his expression quickly became worried at the sight of Takua panting and gasping.

            “I—came—to—warn—you—“ Takua wheezed. He was bent over, hands on his knees, trying desperately to get his breathing back to normal.

            “Please, Chronicler, sit down for a minute,” Turaga Matau said more gently, “Try not to pass out on me.”

            Takua took a few minutes to rest up and catch his breath. Some sweat dripped down from his hairline and burned his eyes. Turaga Matau fetched him a towel to dry himself. When Takua felt a bit better, he spoke again.

            “Turaga, forgive the intrusion, but something is coming. From underground.”

            “Underground? Is it Makuta?”

            “No, but probably something he wants to send after us. There’s a lot of them, too.”

            “What are they?”

            “I didn’t get a good look, but they were nasty-looking, and twice the size of a matoran.”

            Turaga Matau’s brow furrowed, and he looked lost in thought for a moment. Then he gave Takua a casual grin. “Thanks for warning us, Chronicler. We’ll be on guard for any nasty beasties.”

            “I need to go now,” Takua said, handing the towel back to the Turaga, “I should warn the other villages.”

            “We’ll send out the emergency signals. That should help you spread the word.”

            “Thank you, Turaga,” Takua bowed and left promptly. Once out of the main gate, Takua began sprinting towards Ta-Koro. As he was leaving, he caught a glimpse of a group of Le-Matoran guards lighting up their emergency signal tower, a tall stone structure with an arrangement of dry branches and leaves. Once the branches and leaves were lit on fire, smoke began pouring forth into the sky. Takua knew that once the smoke was seen by the closest village, they’ll light up their signal tower, and the process will continue until all villages on Mata-Nui have been informed of danger.

            Takua reached Ta-Koro without incident, and was relieved to see the signal tower had been lit. Jaller ran up to him immediately.

            “Takua, what’s going on?”

            “I saw something underground. It was a whole bunch of…creatures…hatching.”

            Jaller gripped his Ta-Koro Guard staff, furrowing his brow. “So, Makuta’s sending some new minions after us?” he hissed, “We’ll be ready this time.”

            Jaller and Takua walked into the village together, and after a talk with Turaga Vakama Jaller began giving orders for double patrols and for building new traps around the village. As Ta-Matoran scurried around, busying themselves with preparations, the Onu-Matoran Nuparu suddenly crossed Takua’s mind. He was a brilliant inventor, and could probably devise some weapons and ingenious traps for matoran use all over the island.

            Saying his goodbye to Jaller, Takua ran off once again. He thought he caught a couple of dirty looks from some fellow Ta-Matoran, and sighed internally. _I’m trying to help, you morons._

            Takua headed to Onu-Koro. He reached the entrance after hours of walking in foreboding silence. Why did it have to be so quiet right before major disasters? The entry tunnel to the underground village was marked with the symbol for earth carved into the rock. Takua entered, luckily finding a lightstone on the tunnel floor nearby. He carried the glowing rock deep into the earth, getting colder with each step.

            He felt a rush of warm air envelop him once he got to the large main cavern of Onu-Koro. The Onu-Matoran kept small bonfires burning down here to stay warm, and they had even carved out a ventilation system for the smoke to escape. A large freshwater fountain marked the center of the village, and acted as their main water source. Takua noticed that the fountain had been rebuilt, and carved into the shapes of the six Toa all wielding their weapons.

            He was politely greeted by the leader of Onu-Koro, Turaga Whenua. He directed Takua to where Nuparu was working. Thanking the elder, Takua headed in that direction. On the way, he passed a large pen where the Onu-Matoran kept their Ussal crabs. And one crab in particular caught his eye.

            It noticed him too, and it began chattering excitedly. The Onu-Matoran Ussal-keeper who was working there turned to Takua.

            “Hello, Chronicler. What brings you here?”

            “I was just looking for Nuparu, but…” he pointed to the excited Ussal crab.

            “Ah, yes, that one seems to have taken a liking to you,” the Ussal-keeper chuckled heartily.

            Suddenly it dawned on Takua. “That’s the Ussal that protected me at Kini-Nui!” The crab gave a chirp, as if it understood what he was saying.

            “You know, that Ussal has seemed kind of down lately. Seeing you again seems to have perked her back up.”

            The Ussal was pacing up and down the fence that separated them. Takua held out his hand, and the crab nudged it playfully with its head. The Ussal-keeper smiled.

            “Would you like to keep her?”

            Takua nearly gasped. “R-really? Can I?”

            “Of course! She’s yours, free of charge.”

            “Thank you!” Takua said, shaking the keeper’s hand. The Ussal-keeper then unlocked the gate to the pen, letting the excited crab out. She walked straight up to Takua, with an expectant look.

            “Let’s see,” Takua said, thinking of names for her, “How does ‘Pewku’ sound?”

            The crab chirped. Takua grinned at the animal.

            “Alright, Pewku! Let’s go see Nuparu, then I’ll take you home with me.” Pewku chattered happily and followed Takua through the village. He met the Onu-Matoran inventor on the very edge of the village, in a large hut carved out from the cavern wall. Lots of metallic banging sounds came from that hut, and Takua could also see the occasional flash of sparks through one of the windows.

            Once in the hut, he was greeted by Nuparu himself. He was a friendly, though easily distracted matoran. But the one thing he was great at focusing on was his work. Takua told him about the looming attack of the mysterious underground creatures.

            “Now that you mention it, I have been working on a new kind of weapon for Matoran use,” Nuparu gestured towards a heap of metal that looked like some kind of vehicle combined with a suit of armor. “The idea is that a matoran would sit _here_ , and drive it like he was controlling a stronger body than his own. It’s reinforced with steel, so it should be extra resistant to outward forces.”

            “That sounds great!” Takua said. Meanwhile Pewku was timidly sniffing around Nuparu’s workshop. “If this gets developed, we could fight those things almost as well as a Toa!”

            “That’s the idea,” Nuparu said, wiping sweat from his brow with his hand, “As soon as I finish this prototype, I’ll get the whole village manufacturing these. The creatures of Makuta won’t know what hit them!”

            “Great, you work on that. I’m going to Le-Koro to check up on things. If my suspicions are right, they’d be the first to be attacked if…” Takua trailed off because Nuparu had already gone back to working on his battle-armor. Takua called for Pewku and the two left Onu-Koro and headed towards Le-Koro.


	8. Monsters from Underground

Takua grew tired on the way to Le-Koro, so for the first time he got on Pewku’s broad back. The crab was hardly weighed down by her new owner, and she skittered rather quickly through the jungle terrain. Takua felt exhilarated. _Why hadn’t I gotten an Ussal sooner?_ They approached the landmark of Le-Koro, but Pewku stopped in her tracks. Takua didn’t have to ask why.

_Seems like the creatures I saw hatch underground have finally arrived. Unless I’m mistaken and Le-Koro was destroyed by a freak storm._

_When I got to the main gate, it had been knocked over. Several huts have been badly burned and still smoldered as I inspected the wreckage. There were only a couple of survivors, one of them being Kongu, Turaga Matau’s right hand and Captain of the Gukko Force._

_He told me that a swarm of large insect-like monsters tore through the village, and had taken nearly everyone. Apparently the creatures have some kind of mind-control power and has almost all of Le-Koro mentally hostage. Unfortunately, Toa Lewa had also fallen prey to the attack._

_Kongu has told me the way the creatures do it is through releasing a small creature from their head that flies at any nearby sentient entity, latching onto their face and turning them into a servant of the swarm._

_There’s no time to lose, and we especially can’t lose one of the six Toa heroes._

            As if Mata Nui himself had sent for him, Toa Onua arrived on the scene almost as quickly as Takua thought about getting help. The muscular Toa surveyed the damage with a grave look on his face.

            “There’s a trail of destruction that leads out of the village. If we follow that, we’ll find the Le-Matoran, their Turaga, and hopefully also Lewa,” the Earth Toa said. Without another word, Takua, Pewku, Toa Onua, and Kongu headed out. Along the way, Takua noticed that Kongu was shivering.

            “Are you gonna be okay?” Takua asked, placing a hand on the Le-Matoran’s shoulder. Kongu’s eyes were distant.

            “Just, seeing that kind of power…taking over someone’s mind and _twisting_ it…it’s the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen…” Kongu’s voice died down.

            “Don’t worry, we’ll get them all back,” Takua reassured. Onua silently gestured for both of them to stop walking. All of them hid in the bushes and observed the scene. The trail of upturned dirt and uprooted trees ended at a clearing in the forest. To Takua’s horror, there stood the Le-Matoran, with strange, fleshy creatures latched onto their heads and faces. They all moved slowly, but deliberately, working together to build fires to burn down surrounding foliage. And the zombie-like villagers weren’t alone.

            With them were what looked like large insects. They were sleek and shiny, like they were made of metal. They stood on two sinewy legs and their front legs had large, sharp-looking claws. Some of them charged and hissed at the Matoran, like they were giving orders, and some of them were stabbing trees with their claws and pulling them out of the ground before tossing them aside like they were flimsy weeds.

            Takua could see Turaga Matau among the working Matoran, doing the same jobs they were despite the fact he was the village leader. But he couldn’t find Lewa anywhere. He looked up at Toa Onua, and based on his eyes alone Takua could tell he was also looking for his brother Toa. Before Takua could say something, there was a sudden _whoosh_ of air behind them, along with the snapping of twigs. Kongu’s eyes widened.

            “I think I saw Toa Lewa!” the Le-Matoran whispered.

            Toa Onua didn’t waste a second, and ran off. Before Kongu could stop him, Takua took off after the Earth Toa. He stumbled on some tree roots along the way, and a couple of tree branches hit him on the head, but he never took his eyes off Onua’s back. They came to a clearing, and sure enough there was Toa Lewa.

            His features seemed twisted, in the sense that Takua could tell Lewa wasn’t in his right mind. There was a large fleshy-looking thing that had latched itself onto the side of the air Toa’s skull. It looked like a mask that he was wearing incorrectly, since it didn’t cover his face. It was pulling back the skin on Lewa’s face, stretching his features and making him look angular and menacing. The whites of his eyes were red, and he had a disturbingly wide grin on his face.

            “Lewa!” Onua called, and the air Toa swiveled around to face him. He moved jerkily, like he wasn’t in complete control of his muscles.

            “Greetings, Toa-brother!” Lewa giggled incessantly. He brandished his battleaxe above his head, then brought it down sharply to point it at Onua’s face. “I was just about to go find you!”

            “I’m here, Lewa,” Onua said calmly, though his massive hands were trembling, “You’re under the influence of those creatures. Please try to fight it.”

            Lewa began giggling again, but it gradually became hysterical laughter. Takua shrunk behind a tree, tensing all his muscles.

            “Lewa, you’re not yourself right now. Focus,” Onua pleaded. But Lewa’s axe hit the ground hard right next to Onua’s foot, making him flinch.

            “I don’t know what you’re mouthing-talking about,” Lewa began stumbling towards Onua, eyes clouded with madness, “I’m me. I’m Lewa-Toa of the Mata-island Nui…”

            “You’re not making sense. Please, try to fight those creatures,” Onua begged again. Lewa got right up in his face, nearly touching noses.

            “Hey Onua,” Lewa whispered in between giggles, “I’m gonna kill you now.”

            Onua sprang backwards, swiping Lewa’s axe from the ground so he couldn’t get to it.

            “Hey, come on brother!” Lewa cried, “It won’t hurt! I promise I’ll be quick!”

            “Lewa, stop it!” Onua yelled back. Lewa leapt at him, aided by a blast of air. Onua dodged him, kicking off a tree and landing on the ground, making it crack beneath him. He began to run. Lewa kicked off the same tree and drifted gently to the ground.

            “Where are you going?” Lewa called, his diseased eyes swiveling in all directions, “Come here and let me kill you!”

            Onua turned around, and began charging back at his fellow Toa. After building up momentum, he jumped up, and landed with such force that the earth beneath Lewa’s feet exploded upwards, sending him flying. The air Toa landed in a heap of bushes.

            “Snap out of it, brother!” Onua shouted, stomping hard and commanding another slab of earth to fling Lewa upwards again.

            Lewa managed to land on his feet this time, and as he stumbled the red of his eyes cleared up for a fleeting moment. “Onua, get away from here!” he shouted, his brow furrowed and his eyes filling with tears.

            “Lewa, is that really you this time?” Onua’s eyes widened with hope, and he took a step forward. Lewa’s eyes reddened again.

            “Onua, stop talking nonsense and let me kill you!” The air Toa grinned the wide, twisted grin again. Onua’s face fell and he readied himself for the next attack.

            Lewa formed a small tornado around himself. The trees and bushes in the area shed too many leaves and got caught up in the whirling winds. Onua sent up a wall of earth in front of himself as a shield. Then a powerful blast of air knocked him and his shield backwards.

Takua realized that he had been digging his nails into the tree he was hiding behind, and that his fingers had begun to bleed a little. Not to mention the wind was really buffeting him; leaves and twigs scratched at his face and arms, and some dust flew into his eyes. Through blurred vision, he watched the two Toa continue to fight, using their respective elements against each other. Onua chucked rocks in Lewa’s direction, who either dodged them or deflected them with powerful blasts of wind. With each wind blast, more trees and bushes were stripped bare and some branches were broken and tossed away like they were nothing. Over the howling wind, Onua started shouting again.

           “Lewa, we’re supposed to be allies, _remember?_ You’re a Toa, not one of those creatures!”

           “I gotta kill you. It’s all part of the clean-up job!”

           “ _You’re not one of them! Snap out of it!”_

           “Onua! Please help me!” Lewa’s face had changed back to normal once again, “Get this thing off my face!” But once again it was twisted up moments afterwards.

           “Lewa, listen to me!” Onua pleaded, “You can fight it! Concentrate!”

           “Onua, help me!” Lewa cried, then shifted back, “I need to kill you!”

           “You’re strong, Lewa! _Fight it!_ ”

           “I can’t! I need to kill you! _Onua please help it’s hurting me!”_

           “ _Fight!_ ”

           “ _But I need to help clean! Mata Nui, it hurts! Onua, help!”_

           “ _You are a Toa! You can fight!_ ”

           “ _I’m a Toa!_ ”

           “ _That’s right, Lewa! You’re strong! You can fight it!”_

           Lewa’s violent winds died down as he began pulling at the thing on his face. He screamed as the thing tore at his skin.

           “ _Keep going, Lewa! You can do this! Keep fighting!”_

           And with one final scream of pain, Lewa tore the thing off, and threw it on the ground. He collapsed to the ground, blood dripping from a fresh gash on his face. Onua ran up to him, lifting Lewa’s head and shoulders onto one of his arms.

           “Wake up, Lewa, come on…” Onua gently tapped the uninjured side of Lewa’s face. Soon his fellow Toa’s uninfected, green eyes fluttered open. Though bleeding and breathing heavily, Lewa was still alive. All of Takua’s muscles relaxed. He came out from behind his tree, and ran up to the two. He dug into his bag and pulled out some gaze, and held it against Lewa’s face to stop the bleeding.

           “Thanks, Chronicler,” Lewa sighed, breath slowing down. He fixed his green eyes on Onua, and smiled. “And thanks to you, Onua. For giving me the swift-kick.”

           Onua’s face broke into a wide smile. Eventually, Lewa sat up on his own, and held Takua’s makeshift bandage against his head.

           “Hey guys, the Borok have my village under their control. Let’s go save them.”

           “Wait, ‘Borok’?” Onua said, “Is that what those creatures are called?”

           “Yeah,” Lewa said, “It’s all I heard in my mind, ‘The Borok must clean. That is our job. Kill those who stand in the way.’”

           “What do they mean by ‘clean’?” Takua asked.

           “Not sure,” Lewa said, “It’s all foggy, but I think they’re out to destroy everything on the island.”

           “That doesn’t sound good.”

           “But I am a hundred percent positive that Makuta’s the one who sent them,” Lewa said gravely. Takua and Onua glanced at each other.

           “We need to warn everyone. Takua, assemble a rescue team for Le-Koro. Lewa and I will meet up with the other Toa in the meantime,” Onua said, standing up to his full height.

           “Won’t you guys help with the rescue mission?” Takua asked.

           “We’ve heard about your hero-deeds at Kini Nui while we were underground,” Lewa smiled, “We think you guys can handle a small swarm of silly-ol’ Borok.”

           They all laughed in spite of their situation.


	9. Against the Swarm

_No matoran should ever forget the amazing feat accomplished by Toa Lewa. Even under the hypnotic power of the Borok swarms, with the help of his fellow Toa Onua he was able to overcome that power through sheer will. It just goes to show you that the soul of a Toa is a force to be reckoned with. Toa fight, no matter what, as long as their destinies remain unfulfilled._

_In the meantime, the whole island is buzzing with activity. The great inventor Nuparu is preparing special battle armor for Matoran to defend themselves from the swarms. His prototype proved a success, and the Onu-Matoran have begun mass reproduction. I’ve heard they’ve already made amazing progress and I’m reminded just how hard-working Onu-Matoran are. They can have a small army assembled in no time._

_By now, the emergency signal has reached every village on the island. Kongu and I have been meeting up with and assembling matoran from all over the island to take back Le-Koro from the enemy. It feels like an even more fantastic version of the Chronicler’s Company has formed. The Toa have all met up to discuss their next plan of action against Makuta._

_All this makes me wonder how Makuta could possibly think he could win. When I look out at everyone working together like this, I feel as though we can do anything._

    Takua sat on the back of a large gukko bird, behind Kongu. Though his other gukko riders were still enslaved to the Borok, Kongu had managed to snatch the birds out from under the oversized insects’ noses. He had also managed to quickly teach some other matoran how to mount and stay on the gukkos’ backs. The ragtag team of amateur gukko riders perched hidden in the trees above the ruined village where the Borok and their mind-controlled slaves continued digging up earth and cutting down trees.

            Their gukko hovered high in the trees, waiting patiently for Kongu’s orders. The birds' wings whirred rapidly but silently. Takua glanced downwards, and seeing how far the ground was below sent him into a mild bout of vertigo. He gripped the gukko bird’s sides to steady himself. Kongu noticed and whispered to him encouragingly.

            “Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it. Besides, we won’t be up here for long.” The Le-Matoran smiled and Takua smiled back. He took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand. The matoran on the birds were going to distract the Borok until Nuparu showed up with the small army he assembled of matoran wearing his new battle armor.

            “Let’s go,” Takua hissed. Kongu clicked his tongue, and the gukko took a swift nose dive straight for the nearest Borok. Takua felt a rush of adrenaline as the bird snapped at the large insect with its long beak, and flew upwards again out of the reach of the startled Borok. Craning his neck as far as it would go, Takua saw the other matoran directing their gukko birds downwards just as Kongu had done. The birds snapped at the Borok and retreated just as quickly to the safety of the skies.

            The Borok had ceased their destruction of the Le-Wahi jungle, and were completely focused on swiping their massive claws at the attacking gukkos. Takua felt another pit of unease in his chest as Kongu’s gukko swooped back downwards, carrying them almost directly in a Borok’s waiting claws. They swooped upwards again at the last minute, and Takua took a lungful of air to calm his racing heart.

            Over the angry chittering of the Borok the whirring and clanking of machinery erupted from the surrounding foliage. _Nuparu’s here!_ Takua’s muscles relaxed somewhat. Kongu clicked his tongue again, and his gukko stopped climbing and hovered in midair in place.

            A speck of dust blew into Takua’s eye. He rubbed it vigorously, eager to watch the battle below. Nuparu emerged first, sitting inside what looked like a walking suit of armor. There was a small control panel in front of him covered in buttons and joysticks. His eyes practically twinkled wickedly, and his mouth was split into an excited smile.

            “We’re here for the Le-Matoran, and we’re not leaving without ‘em!” Nuparu declared, thrusting a joystick forward. The armor’s fist flew forwards, socking the nearest Borok straight in the face. The insect screeched in surprise and pain, tumbling backwards. “Listen well, you loathsome insects! _This_ is my finest creation: _the Boxor!_ ” Nuparu’s grin got wider, and soon several dozen Onu-Matoran emerged from the trees driving their own Boxor.

            With a wild battle-cry, the Onu-Matoran charged, and began a head-on assault on the Borok. Takua was amazed at the technology. The Boxor punched hard, sending some Borok flying backwards, and even cracking the head-dome of one of them. They ran fast, perhaps not as fast as a Toa, but fast enough to dodge the Borok’s attacks. Nuparu even managed to side-jump out of the way of a Borok that had rolled into a ball and launched itself at him.

            The Onu-Matoran were doing well on their own, so Kongu gave the order for the gukko riders to start leading the Le-Matoran away from the area so they could remove the mind-controlling masks from their faces. Once they had herded the mind-controlled Le-Matoran to a secluded area away from the battle, the riders landed their gukkos in a circle around them. Each rider began going from Le-Matoran to Le-Matoran, giving them encouraging words and helping them rip the masks off their faces.

            Takua approached a Le-Matoran whose name he didn’t know. The Le-Matoran was wary, but he didn’t back away as Takua inched towards him. He reached out slowly and gripped the fleshy mask on the matoran’s face. It was unpleasantly warm and wriggled slightly at his touch.

            “Don’t worry, buddy,” Takua reassured, “You’ll be back to your old self in no time.” And he began to pull. He tried to be gentle, but the mask wouldn’t let go. Takua noticed that it pulled on the Le-Matoran’s skin and he almost didn’t want to continue. But he did, and finally it came loose. Suddenly panicked, Takua threw it onto the ground, and a nearby gukko bird snatched it up in its beak.

            The Le-Matoran blinked in confusion, then eyes widened when he saw Takua. “Oh, Chronicler!” he exclaimed, “Thank you for that.”

            “No trouble,” Takua said, giving him a friendly pat on the back. The Le-Matoran turned and ran off to greet his fellow villagers who had also just gotten their masks pulled off.

_The Liberation of Le-Koro was a huge success. I’m happy to say that all the Le-Matoran and Turaga Matau have all been released from the control of the Borok swarm. Nuparu’s Boxor army managed to drive away the Borok threatening Le-Koro. Now they can begin rebuilding. A small fraction of boxor warriors are staying behind to guard the village while the Le-Matoran start cleaning things up._

_In the meantime, I guess it’s time to head back to Ta-Koro and check to see how Jaller is doing. Hopefully they haven’t had Borok trouble while I was gone._

            Back in Ta-Koro, Takua was eavesdropping on Turaga Vakama’s hut. The elder was meeting with Toa Tahu; they were discussing the Borok swarms and something called “the Bahrag.”

            “So these creatures are the twin ‘queens’ of the swarms?” Tahu was saying, a hint of incredulity in his voice.

            “Correct,” Vakama answered patiently, “They must have sent out the order for the swarms to awaken, under Makuta’s orders, of course.”

            “So, you knew about the Bahrag all along,” Tahu hissed, “and you _never_ thought to mention it to us? That’s valuable information!”

            “Tahu, listen. As Toa, there are certain things you must figure out on your own.”

            “We could have stopped them earlier!” Tahu’s voice was rising.

            “I know,” Vakama whispered.

            “If you just _told_ us, Le-Koro wouldn’t have—“

            “That is true, but—“

            “All I want to know is _why_ in Mata Nui’s name—“

            “We Turaga won’t always be around to guide you. You Toa must learn to place trust in yourselves to find the answers you seek. Did you not find out about the Bahrag on your own?”

            “We did,” Tahu admitted, though his voice was still scathing, “only _after_ Lewa was attacked by Borok and had their vile thoughts shoved into his brain against his will!”

            Vakama was silent for a few uncomfortable moments. Outside the hut, Takua held his breath, waiting for one of them to speak.

            “I’m truly sorry, Tahu. But you and your team are still new to being Toa. You must be tested.” Vakama was still as calm as ever, but even from outside Takua could feel a rush of heat from Tahu, who didn’t respond. “Mata Nui has a destiny for all of you,” Vakama continued, “You must be ready to face it when the time comes.”

            Takua had no time to react before Tahu burst out of the hut in a fury, knocking him backwards. Tahu’s gaze snapped towards him. His orange eyes were blazing. He said nothing and stalked towards the main gates to leave. Takua felt himself break out in a sweat from the heat, and also from the momentary fear from seeing Tahu that furious.

            Still, Takua found himself following the fire Toa to the outskirts of Ta-Koro. Tahu stopped at a cliff that overlooked a vast expanse of the Charred Forest. Takua kept a distance of a few meters at least. The Toa was almost glowing with heat. He gripped his sword, which was burning with crimson flames.

            Tahu swung around and promptly sliced a few surrounding trees with his sword. He panted heavily while the old charred trees creaked and crumbled to the ground. Takua was frozen in place; he couldn’t even manage to wipe the beads of sweat dripping down his forehead.

            “I know you’re there, Chronicler,” Tahu sighed, putting his sword away. The glow of heat around him lessened somewhat, but his eyes still burned a fiery orange. Takua forced his muscles to unlock and began slowly approaching the fire Toa.

            “I’m sorry, I was eavesdropping, it’s rude—“ Tahu raised a hand, cutting Takua off.

            “It’s alright, I’m not angry with you,” Tahu said quietly. He turned away from Takua, facing the edge of the cliff again. After a moment’s hesitation, Takua joined him. The two of them stood in silence for a long time, it seemed. The Charred Forest was strangely beautiful from this angle; the blackened trunks and branches formed all kinds of silhouetted shapes against the hot red sky.

            “Sometimes I wonder…” Tahu mused absently, still with a trace of anger in his voice. Takua didn’t dare speak, and waited for the fire Toa to finish his thought. “I wonder if I’m doing the right thing.”

            Takua’s interest was piqued. “What do you mean?”

            Tahu hesitated, but continued in a low voice. “I came to this island with no memory other than my name. I show up here, and suddenly I’m told that I need to do all these things. _Then_ suddenly I don’t deserve a little _guidance?_ I mean, I still don’t know what I’m doing half the time!” He stopped abruptly. Takua glanced sideways at Tahu. Much to his surprise, the mighty fire Toa’s brow was furrowed and his gaze was blank and distant.

            Takua blurted out a question before he could stop himself. “Are you scared?”

            For a moment he was terrified Tahu would set him on fire for asking that. But Takua heard Tahu laugh softly. He looked up at the fire Toa. The fire Toa met his gaze, piercing Takua all the way through with his orange eyes.

            “Yes, Chronicler. I am.”


	10. Lair of the Queens

            Takua tossed and turned in his small Ta-Koro hut. His body was exhausted but his mind was wide awake with racing thoughts. He sat up on his cot and stared out the window. The clouds that usually billowed over Ta-Koro had dissipated, and he could see a beautiful array of stars dotting the black and blue sky. He breathed deeply, finding that the air was also unusually clear.

            Takua continued taking long, slow breaths as he laid back down onto his cot. His consciousness finally began to slip away. The edges of his vision grew dark, and at last sleep enveloped him.

            His eyes opened, and he found he was standing in front of the entrance to a cave, along with the six Toa heroes. Instantly he felt the psychic presence of Toa Gali.

            _Glad you could join us, Chronicler_ , her voice whispered to him, _I think you know what to do._

            _Yes, Toa,_ he agreed, and ghosted behind them as they entered the cave.

            The corridor was long and twisting. Tahu held his blazing sword aloft to light the way. The others followed him closely, with Kopaka taking the rear, cybernetic eye clicking and whirring though his facial expression remained calm and stony.

            The corridor ended suddenly, with no branching paths in sight.

            “Are you sure this is the right place?” Pohatu piped up. Tahu whirled at him, his eyes flashing. Pohatu flinched slightly.

            “Yes,” Tahu snapped. Lewa placed a hand on Pohatu’s shoulder, which quickly relaxed.

            “He’s right, stone-brother,” Lewa said, “Look!” He pointed upwards. The corridor had ended, but there was a ledge they could climb up to. “I can give us all a boost!”

            Lewa raised his arms and whipped up an air current that surrounded all six Toa. All their feet slowly left the ground, and the wind carried them up to the ledge. The corridor continued on.

            Tahu said, “Let’s continue.” Lewa looked slightly disappointed at Tahu’s lack of praise.

            They walked for a few minutes, when Gali ran ahead of Tahu for a few paces and stopped.

            “Wait, do you hear that?” she said.

            “Um, no?” Lewa said.

            “I hear it too,” Onua spoke up, “Water.”

            “Stay behind me!” Gali commanded, and the others obeyed. Takua could hear the rushing deluge now. He braced himself, before realizing he was practically a ghost and didn’t need to worry. As the other Toa gathered behind Gali, she took a stance, and waited as the water rushed through the tunnel towards them.

            Before the deluge could hit them all full force, Gali thrust her arms upwards and the water shot upwards as well. Gali held the wall of water steady, and began to walk forward.

            “Follow me. Stay close,” the water Toa said. The other Toa were impressed; Tahu’s eyes were wide, Lewa gave a short excited laugh, and even Kopaka cracked a small smile. As the Toa advanced through the tunnel, Gali pushed the wall of water back with her powers. She gradually began to guide the water around the group, allowing to run through the tunnel once again, but without letting it touch her companions.

            Soon the water ran out, and Gali relaxed her muscles. She stumbled a bit, and caught onto Pohatu’s shoulder for support.

            “Great job, sister,” Pohatu grinned. Gali returned the smile.

            “Thanks,” she said, breathing a bit hard.

            “Yes, good job Gali,” Tahu interjected, rushing up to the front of the group, “Lewa, how much further?” Lewa squinted his eyes.

            “Let’s see…” he said, scratching the back of his head, “the Bahrag shouldn’t be too far ahead.”

            “Okay, everyone ready your weapons,” Tahu said, and the tunnel filled with the metallic unsheathing of the Toa’s tools. They all advanced in unison.

            Only after a minute of walking, they came up to a dead end. Tahu whirled to face Lewa.

            “What’s the deal, Lewa?” he snapped. The air Toa threw up his hands defensively.

            “Don’t look at me! That wall isn’t supposed to be there! I swear we’re on the right walk-path!”

            “Why is there a wall here?”

            “I don’t know!”

            “Onua,” Tahu pointed at the earth Toa, “think you can tunnel us through?”

            “No problem,” Onua said, stepping forward. He readied his digging claws, and struck the wall with full force. Sound exploded all around them, and the tunnel shook. But the wall stayed intact. Onua’s face fell.

            “Maybe you didn’t hit it hard enough!” Pohatu said, pushing past him. He drew back his foot, and kicked the wall with all his strength. Just as before, the tunnel shook, and there wasn’t a scratch on the wall. Onua rolled his eyes at Pohatu, who shrugged sheepishly.

            “What is going on?” Tahu sighed, “we can’t just walk away from this… but what can we do?”

            Kopaka surprised everyone by stepping forward. He gently nudged past Pohatu, and stood facing the wall. He readied his sword and Tahu snorted.

            “If you think you’re getting through when our two strongest couldn’t—“

            And Kopaka walked straight through the wall like it was nothing, his cape flowing behind him like snow drifting in the wind. All the others stood in awe, including Takua, who felt a shiver go up his spine and a smile spread across his face.

            “Wha—“ Tahu started.

            “—It’s an illusion,” Kopaka said from the other side, “Just don’t believe in it.”

            Tahu hesitated, so Gali rushed past him. She too phased through the wall. “Come on, guys!” she said from the other side.

            One by one, each Toa walked through the false wall. Tahu took up the rear. Takua followed close behind. Once on the other side, the tunnel continued ahead, and the Toa breathed a sigh of relief.

            “Nice call, ice-brother!” Lewa cheered. Kopaka nodded to him. Pohatu then grabbed the ice Toa and put him in a headlock.

            “Hey!” Kopaka protested.

            “You’re so smart, my icy friend!” Pohatu exclaimed.

            “Alright, alright. So we made it. And we need to keep moving,” Tahu said. Pohatu promptly released Kopaka, who quickly straightened his posture. Any annoyance on his face faded and he continued onward, as stoic as ever.

            They all followed the tunnel when they came upon a large cavern, with two large insectoid creatures, one blue and one red, standing in the center of it. They were immense, the size of at least ten Borok. They resembled the Borok as well, but they were covered with more spikes and they both had large sets of teeth and claws. At the sight of the newly arrived Toa, they both stomped a heavy foot down and shrieked.

            Takua felt deep-set fear growing inside him at the sound, and started to feel light-headed. He felt as though he was going to black out. _Is my psychic connection fading?_

            All the Toa didn’t waste a second leaping at the Bahrag, weapons at the ready. Bolts of fire, ice, water, earth, air, and stone rained upon the creatures, causing them to shriek more. The blue creature barreled towards Tahu, who leapt out of the way of its swinging claws. The red creature shrieked and ran for Pohatu and Kopaka. Meanwhile Gali, Onua, and Lewa were trying to sneak up on the blue creature from behind.

            _Takua!_

            He knew that voice. It wasn’t Gali’s.

            _Takua! Wake up!_

            _Jaller?_

            Takua jolted upwards in his cot, heart threatening to shatter his ribs. He was back in his old hut, and Jaller was standing by his bed, eyes wide.

            “Takua, we need to go!”

            “Wha-why—“

            “Ga-Koro’s under attack! We need to go!”

            “But the Toa are—“

            “What? Nevermind, we need to go! Come on!”

            Takua stood up, and Jaller grabbed his arm and pulled him out the door. The two of them, followed by a small army of Jaller’s fellow guards, ran like they’d never run before, stumbling several times and filling the charred forest with the sound of their loud and desperate gasps of breath. They slowed down a bit once they reached the outskirts of the forest so they wouldn’t collapse, but still tried to keep up a rather quick pace.


	11. Battle for Ga-Koro

            They reached Ga-Koro, which was in ruins. Lilypads were torn to shreds, huts were smashed, and debris cluttered the surface of the water. The cliffs in the distance were missing large chunks of rock. Borok swarmed around the ruined village, and surrounded the one lilypad left intact which contained all the Ga-Matoran, and also surprisingly the Po-Matoran.

            Jaller and Takua hid behind a nearby palm tree. Their companions took similar positions behind the foliage surrounding the ruined village.

            “Word is that Po-Koro was devastated by a Borok attack, so they came here by boat for refuge,” Jaller whispered.

            “Po-Koro too?” Takua said, a lump in his throat. His mind went back to Le-Koro, and the damage he had witnessed there. Now seeing Ga-Koro in such a state, and knowing Po-Koro suffered the same fate, Takua felt something creep up from within him.

            Suddenly he felt as if his whole body was made of stone. His muscles surged with resolve and his chest burned. He’d never felt anger like this. He stared hard at the disgusting bugs who wanted to stop at nothing to destroy his home.

            “Those bastards!” Takua spit, making Jaller jump.

            “Takua—“

            “— _bastards!”_ Takua shouted, and ran towards the ruined village. Some Borok heads had turned in his direction, hissing menacingly. But Takua couldn’t feel any fear.

            He kept running, grabbing debris and throwing it as he did. Most of the sticks and rocks he threw bounced off the Borok harmlessly, but he kept coming even after a few began to charge at him.

            Takua closed his hands around a very large and heavy wooden beam, and swung it wildly. He hit a Borok on the side of its head, stunning it for a moment. That gave Takua the chance to bolt past it, and hit it in the back of its insect legs. The Borok buckled under the surprising pain Takua inflicted on it.

            Takua continued running, swinging at more Borok all the while, until he reached the gathered Po and Ga-Matoran. Heads were turning, fear and hopelessness in the countless eyes slowly turning to awe.

            “ _Everybody! Fight!”_ Takua shouted. His eye caught Hewkii the Po-Matoran athlete from the crowd, and he tossed his wooden beam towards him. Hewkii caught it effortlessly, and nodded at Takua. As the Po-Matoran began swinging at the Borok, others began to catch on, and began grabbing debris for weapons. Takua found a new wooden plank and resumed his attack.

            As he smacked one Borok in the face, he was struck from behind and fell forward. The Borok he hit in front of him recovered from Takua’s blow and began to lunge. Jaller appeared in front of Takua, and hit it with a broken metal pipe. The Borok screeched, and stumbled to the side. Jaller turned and offered Takua his hand, and he took it happily.

            Takua and Jaller stood back to back, each wildly attacking at advancing Borok. Even as he fought, Takua took few moments to observe the battle so he could record it later. He saw two Ga-Matoran guards take turns hitting the same Borok with their Ga-Koro guard spears until they both drove the points into the creature’s head, killing it. Hewkii was wielding two wooden planks at the same time. Macku was running from a charging Borok, and as soon as Hewkii noticed, he tossed her one of his planks and in a swift movement Macku swung around and knocked her pursuer unconscious. She turned back around to give Hewkii a sly wink, and Hewkii’s face turned a tiny bit red. The moment ended, when two Borok came for him at once. The Ta-Koro guards that had followed Takua and Jaller were fighting off the swarm with their guard staffs.

            Everyone was fighting so bravely. Takua felt a swell of pride in his chest. Even without the Toa, they could do anything! He saw a Ga-Matoran and two Po-Matoran protecting Turaga Nokama and Turaga Onewa of Po-Koro from stray Borok. A couple of Ta-Koro guards brought down a Borok that was about to overtake a Po and a Ga-Matoran.  Hahli had snuck behind a lone Borok and stabbed it in the back of its neck with a spear. Two Po-Matoran were knocked back into the water, and two Ga-Matoran swiftly dove in after them to rescue them.

            Right when Takua was feeling the best he could feel about the battle, things began to get a bit more serious. For one, he was beginning to get tired. His grip on the wooden beam was loosening. Based on his friend’s ragged breathing, he could tell Jaller was beat as well. Sweat dripped into his eyes, and he wiped it with the back of his hand. Some other Matoran were faltering as well. More of them were getting hit by Borok; the creatures didn’t seem too fazed after the onslaught of the determined villagers.

            The burning in Takua’s chest faded, replaced by a cold lump of dread. There were just too many of them. Another Borok came straight for him, and he barely had time to lift his wooden beam before it lunged its head forward and knocked him backwards onto Jaller. The two of them lay in a heap, and neither of them had enough energy left to move. Takua felt himself slipping away slowly. A Borok loomed over him.

            He caught a flash of movement in his mind’s eye. He saw two large creatures: the Bahrag? The Borok was still standing over him. He saw the Toa again. All their elements blurred together into one. He heard a loud screech, like the pained cries of a thousand insects buzzing in his head. Where did the Borok go? Takua snapped back into reality.

            It was quiet. No more hissing or screaming. Just the chirping of birds overhead. Takua sat up and looked around. All the Borok were still and curled up into balls. Matoran stood about, panting, dropping their weapons, collapsing into each other’s arms.

            Jaller’s voice appeared behind Takua, startling him. “They…stopped?”

            “Looks that way,” Takua breathed, tossing aside his wooden beam.

            “Hahli!” Jaller cried, jumping up suddenly. He ran towards the Ga-Matoran, who was bleeding heavily from a cut on her scalp.

            “H-hey, J-Jaller,” Hahli croaked, tripping on a plank of wood. Jaller caught her before she fell, putting an arm around her shoulders. She smiled weakly as Jaller gently offered to treat her wound.

            Takua saw Macku ripping off a piece of cloth from her shirt to tie around Hewkii’s arm. Ga-Matoran and Po-Matoran healers began gathering anything they could find to treat and tie up wounds. Meanwhile the Turaga oversaw everything, comforting some of the more traumatized matoran and kindly giving orders to others who were fit enough to begin the clean-up process. Takua stood up, and began to help by gathering up debris from the lilypad, and reaching for other large pieces floating in the water close by.

            Despite his exhaustion, Takua continued hauling debris into a pile, assisting others with the larger pieces. Some Matoran began moving the frozen Borok out of the way, pushing them into the surrounding sea and watching them sink like stones. Several Ga-Matoran began repairs on their boats. Po-Matoran, Ga-Matoran, and Ta-Matoran alike began gathering beach grass and palm leaves and began weaving new roofs for huts, while others salvaged as much as they could from the debris to begin building new foundations for huts. Some Ga-Matoran whose boats were still largely in one piece began rowing out to sea, probably to search for new giant lilypads to restore the village’s foundation and to clean up more debris that had floated further out to sea.

            By the time the sun began to sink into the horizon, everyone had made amazing progress. Ga-Koro still had a long way to go, but it was much cleaner than when the Borok were here. Takua pulled off his boots and lowered his feet into the cool water. The soothing sensation traveled up his legs and to the top of his head. Matoran milled about, relaxing and talking with one another. The two Turaga called for attention. Silence fell, and ears opened for the elders to speak.

            “You have all done well today,” Turaga Nokama said, “Though we all have suffered greatly at the hands of the Borok swarms, it seems we have triumphed.”

            Cheers rang out among the crowd.

            “There are still many repairs to be done,” Turaga Onewa continued, “But seeing as you’ve all made excellent progress today, I think I speak for Turaga Nokama and myself by saying you’ve earned a break. Feel free to rest up until tomorrow.”

            The crowd cheered again, thanking the Turaga in unison. Then everyone began breaking off into groups, talking excitedly about the battle. Takua had to wonder why the Borok stopped the way they did. He had another mental picture flash in his mind. It was the Bahrag, frozen solid in what looked like white crystal. And the six Toa standing before them triumphantly.

            Before he could figure out what it all meant, Takua felt someone punch his arm.

            “Jaller!” he exclaimed happily. The two hugged briefly. Takua greeted Hahli warmly, who smiled in return. “Hey there, Hahli! I saw you out there; you were awesome!”

            “Thanks, Chroni—I mean, Takua,” Hahli said, “But I didn’t do anything _that_ special…”

            “What are you talking about?” Jaller interjected, “You fought as well as a Toa!”

            Hahli giggled, turning slightly red. Jaller’s face began turning the same color. It took all of Takua’s remaining energy to stifle a laugh. Macku suddenly showed up behind Hahli, covering her eyes with her hands.

            “Guess who!”

            Hahli laughed. “Macku! You scared me!”

            “Ha! Nothing scares The Mighty Hahli!” Macku said, hugging her friend from behind.

            “I say _all_ of you guys should be Toa!” Hewkii appeared beside Jaller, pumping his fist in the air.

            Takua laughed, “Say the guy who was dual-wielding wooden sticks like a pro!”

            “Oh, stop!” Hewkii said. All of them laughed.

            A small party started up that night. Ga-Matoran passed out woven flower necklaces to everyone, and a small band of Ga-Matoran musicians began playing music on makeshift instruments they scraped together from smaller pieces of debris. Some danced, some laid back to watch the stars begin to appear in the darkening and surprisingly clear sky.

            Takua talked and laughed with Jaller, Hahli, Hewkii, and Macku. At one point everyone began getting drowsy. Hewkii had fallen asleep on Macku’s shoulder. Hahli took the tropical flower she was wearing out of her hair, and slid it behind Jaller’s ear before curling up on the lilypad and closing her eyes. Only Jaller and Takua remained awake for a while, before falling asleep while sitting back to back.


	12. Rise of the Toa Nuva

_I had the strangest dream that night. After the Battle of Ga-Koro, I fell asleep and saw the same image that I’d seen before: the six Toa of Mata Nui standing before a large pillar of crystal containing the frozen forms of the Borok Queens._

_That wasn’t all. In the dream, the floor collapsed underneath the six heroes, and they all fell into a pool of some silvery substance. All of them sank like stones. Before I could reach out and call for them, I was transported through the floor and into a deeper cavern where all of them fell into, unharmed._

_But that wasn’t all. All of them had changed. They were larger, stronger-looking, with silver armor and new weapons at their belts. They looked around each other in astonishment, and I don’t blame them._

_That’s all the dream was. But when I woke up, I had the sneaking suspicion that it wasn’t a dream, but another one of the visions sent to me by Toa Gali. Anyways, Jaller and I were just informed that Toa Tahu had returned to Ta-Koro, and that we needed to get back._

            When Takua and Jaller returned to Ta-Koro, the entire village was already gathered around Toa Tahu. They squeezed their way through the crowd, and when they were close enough, Takua found himself gaping at the fire Toa.

            Tahu looked twice as strong as he did before. His muscles were more pronounced, and his new silver armor gleamed in the light from the embers in the Ta-Koro air. His orange eyes seemed brighter, filled with much more wisdom and focus than before, though he still looked a bit uncomfortable with all the matoran staring at him. At his belt were now _two_ swords, wickedly sharp blades that were shaped like leaping flames.

            Turaga Vakama stepped forward, beaming proudly. The gathered matoran fell silent to hear his address.

            “Gathered friends,” he began, “it seems Mata Nui has smiled upon our heroes on this day. I am proud to say that our mighty Toa have been granted more power to fight the darkness of Makuta!”

            The surrounding matoran cheered, and quieted quickly to hear more.

            “Even in sleep, the Great Spirit still watches over us all,” Vakama said fervently, “And in their strengthened state, I thereby dub our new heroes _Toa Nuva_!” More cheering erupted, and Jaller and Takua joined in. Takua also noticed that a small smile flashed across Tahu’s face.

            Turaga Vakama faced Toa Tahu, looking as proud as ever, “Mighty Tahu. Do you still accept the task of restoring peace to the island and taking down Makuta?”

            Tahu stood up straighter, orange eyes flashing. “I do, Turaga.”

            “Very well. Then I shall officially declare that from now on, you shall take the title of Toa Nuva. May your flames burn brighter than ever!”

            “Thank you Turaga. And if I may, I’d like to say a few words.”

            “Go ahead,” Vakama nodded.

            Tahu turned to face the crowd of eager matoran. Takua for one felt as though the island just got a bit safer. He leaned forward on his toes as Tahu began to speak.

            “I haven’t been on Mata Nui for very long, and you could say it was pretty overwhelming for me at first. With only the memory of my name in my mind and a sword at my side, I came to Ta-Koro and was tasked with saving this unfamiliar world from an unseen force of darkness. But I can safely say now, that I’ve come to consider this island as my home. Being with you, the matoran, has given me a sense of purpose,” Tahu paused for a second, and Takua could tell he was trying to think of the right words to say next. “I’ve seen Makuta. My brothers and I have seen what he is capable of. And he may be capable of much more. But I’ll promise you this: we will fight. And we will win. For you, for our home, and for the Great Spirit.” Tahu smiled, stepped back, and unsheathed his two new swords. He spun them around in his hands and pointed them upwards, spouting forth a shower of sparks and flame. The Ta-Matoran cheered wildly, some chanting Tahu’s name.

            Takua and Jaller jumped up and down with the crowd. Suddenly Takua felt his smile fall, and the cheers died in his throat. Things were going so well, but a sense of dread crept into his chest and stayed there long enough to be impossible to ignore. It wasn’t the end yet. The Toa have won against two major threats from Makuta, but how long can they keep up? What’ll come next? And what will happen if they face something they can’t defeat?

            Takua began pushing his way out of the crowd. A hand caught his arm, and he turned to face Jaller, who had a look of concern on his face. If the Toa lost, the matoran were as good as extinct. Takua could even lose his best friend. The thought alone squeezed his heart until he felt as though he was having trouble breathing. He turned away from Jaller and broke loose from the happy crowd.

            Was something wrong with him? Why couldn’t he just be happy in this moment? Tahu and the others were even more powerful now; how could they be defeated? Takua had a sudden daydream of shadows creeping over everything and consuming everyone. Then he imaged a pair of piercing red eyes and heard a deep laughter that shook the earth and air itself. He broke into a run. He ran towards his hut.

            He pushed the door open, and gathered as many of his belongings as he could, tying it all up in his bedsheet and stuffing it all in his bag. Before he could step outside again, Jaller blocked the doorway.

            “Are you seriously running off right now?”

            “I…have…things to do…” Takua said pathetically. Jaller sighed heavily.

            “Takua, what’s going on with you? You’re cheering with everyone else then suddenly you want to run away? Why?”

            “It’s just…it’s hard to explain…”

            “I don’t believe you.”

            “I’m just…going to…”

            “Takua, you’re scared. It’s written all over your face,” Jaller folded his arms, giving Takua a hard stare.

            “No, it’s not—“

            “You’re scared. Admit it.” Jaller was not teasing, and Takua felt shame wash over him.

            “I mean, I guess…”

            “Takua,” Jaller said in a gentler tone, “I get it.”

            “No you don’t.”

            “Yes I do. First the wild rahi attacks, then the Borok; of course something stronger will come after us next.”

            Takua couldn’t bring himself to speak. He dropped his bag to the floor and collapsed onto his cot. Jaller continued.

            “But after yesterday, seeing the way you charged at the Borok swarm at Ga-Koro…I know you’re better than this. The Takua I’ve come to know doesn’t run away.”

            Takua shivered, though he wasn’t cold. Jaller sat next to him on the cot.

            “Even great heroes get scared. But that doesn’t mean they can just give up. Remember the three virtues?”

            “Unity, Duty, and Destiny,” Takua said matter-of-factly.

            “Right. We stick to those values, and we’ll triumph over Makuta.” Jaller nudged Takua with his elbow. Takua’s heart felt a bit lighter. Grinning, he punched Jaller in the arm. And Jaller punched him back, twice as hard.

            “Come on, you kolhii-head,” Jaller teased, “Let’s go join the others.”

            “Right behind you, buddy,” Takua said, and followed Jaller out of his hut.

*          *            *

            The next day, Jaller and Takua went to Ga-Koro to continue helping with repairs. As soon as they arrived, Jaller ran off with Hahli, and Takua headed towards the center of the village to look for Toa Gali.

            “Chronicler!”

            It was Gali’s voice. Takua turned around and met her intense blue eyes.

            “Toa Gali! How’re you doing?” Takua felt even smaller standing next to her than ever before. Like Tahu, Gali looked stronger. Her silvery armor caught even the small amount of light provided by the clouded sky, a good match for her silvery hair. When she smiled, her eyes seemed to flash with power and wisdom.

            “Much better, since the upgrade,” she said.

            “Could you show me your new powers?” Takua asked excitedly.

            “I wouldn’t call them _new_ …” Gali said, and thrust her arms upwards, calling a tsunami from the distant sea and holding the immense tower of water in place for a few moments before thrusting it back into the horizon, “…just upgraded.”

            Takua closed his mouth, realizing it had been hanging open for a few embarrassing minutes. “That’s amazing! I saw Tahu’s powers last night, too. You guys are incredible!”

            “Thanks, Chronicler. Now, I have to ask you—“

            “—about the other day? With the connection breaking off? Yeah, I’m sorry about that…” Takua said sheepishly. Toa Gali listened respectfully as Takua rattled off the story of how he and Jaller had to run off to save Ga-Koro from a Borok swarm, about everyone fighting, and how the Borok stopped dead just before they were all about to tire out and get killed. When he was done, Gali smiled gently.

            “Chronicler, you truly are heroic,” she said, ruffling his hair.

            “What are you—I mean, thanks?” Takua felt his face get hot. He wasn’t sure he would ever get used to people congratulating him. It seems like whenever he wasn’t thinking straight, he did something reckless and ended up… saving the day? Was that the right term? He certainly never felt heroic. Lately he’s just been feeling like a mess.

            “When I said I sense potential in you, Chronicler, I meant every word of it. You need to stop doubting yourself. You have proven yourself a reliable friend to all matoran, and Toa for that matter. You’re deeds have proven just as valuable as the Toa.”

            Takua was at a loss for words. Gali laughed softly.

            “As long as you’re here, I might as well fill you in about what went down in the Bahrag’s lair, right?”

            “Oh, that’s right! That Wall of History can’t write itself, after all…”

            Both of them shared a laugh, then sat on the sand before Gali told Takua everything.

_After passing the illusionary barrier, the Toa came upon the Lair of the Bahrag. They fought valiantly, not wasting a second. Their elemental energies—fire, ice, water, air, earth, and stone—began to combine. Once combined, they formed a new substance that doesn’t yet have a name._

_It was like a huge hunk of white crystal. I’ve seen it before, when they fought Makuta deep underground. And it encased the Borok queens, freezing them in place and breaking off the psychic signals they sent to their swarms. At the fall of the Bahrag, the Borok swarms ceased to function. Once again, the Toa claimed victory, and as a reward from the Great Spirit himself, they were transformed into more powerful beings than they were before via a strange, silvery liquid. The Turaga have renamed them “Toa Nuva.”_

_I’ve seen two of these mighty heroes demonstrate their enhanced abilities so far. I can’t wait to see the others!_

            In the weeks following the fall of the Borok and the emergence of the Toa Nuva, Takua traveled the island, observing the rebuilding of the villages that were badly damaged. He also met with each Toa, and witnessed their amazing new abilities.

            In Po-Koro, Pohatu leveled a small mountain, breaking it up into smaller boulders for the Po-Matoran to use for new structures. Onua collapsed several Borok nests located outside Onu-Koro, and raised the earth up to level out the land. Kopaka kicked up a powerful ice storm outside Ko-Koro to blow away angry muaka cats that were running towards the village, and even single-handedly rebuilt the massive Ko-Koro ice bridge. Last Takua stopped at Le-Koro, which was looking so much better, especially since the last time he saw it, it was in complete ruins.

            Turaga Matau gave him a friendly greeting before returning to a nearby worksite to oversee repairs. He waved to Kongu, who was tending to the gukko birds. Finally he ran into Toa Lewa.

            Takua had always thought that Lewa was the slimmest Toa of the group, but after the transformation he gained quite a bit of muscle. He was still the smallest, but no doubt he was much swifter and more powerful than before.

            “Greetings, Chronicler! What brings you deepwood?”

            “Just checking to see how you guys are holding up.”

            “We’re fantastic, thanks for asking!”

            “That’s great to hear! Hey, can I ask you something?”

            “Anything!”

            Takua hesitated. He wasn’t sure how sensitive Lewa would be about the subject. “Can you…still hear the swarms?”

            Lewa looked taken aback. “Uh, wait, how much do you know about that?”

            “I was there when Onua confronted you. I know you had one of those mask-things on your face, and that even after you ripped it off you still had Borok knowledge in your head,” Takua said.

            “So, you know everything, huh,” Lewa scratched the back of his head nervously. But he spread a big grin across his face. “Don’t you worry, young Chronicler. I haven’t had a Borok-thought in a week!”

            “That’s great!” Takua said.

            “Hey, you wanna go for a wind-ride?”

            “What do you—“

            Lewa grabbed Takua’s arm, and began sprinting away from the village. Takua felt his legs wildly scrambling beneath him, and he barely had enough time to take a breath. They rapidly approached a cliff. Panic seized his every muscle. Lewa was a thrill-seeker, but this was going a bit far.

            “T-toa L-Lewa!” Takua managed to shout over the screaming wind in his ears. The cliff edge was close. He squeezed his eyes shut. His feet left the ground, and he felt wind buffet his face. His eyelids practically blew open, and he saw the tops of trees passing down below. He was still being held by his arm, and he glanced over at Lewa, whose eyes were closed in pure exhilaration.

            “Get on my back, Chronicler! Let me show you how to _really_ wind-fly!”

            As they glided above the canopy of jungle trees, Chronicler climbed his way up Lewa’s arm and gripped his shoulders. Lewa unsheathed his new twin swords, holding his arms out and pointing the tips inward towards his feet, creating the shape of a pair of wings at his sides. Takua tightened his grip, feeling his legs flying wildly behind him.

            “Hold on!” Lewa shouted, and with a blast of wind, rocketed past the jungle, almost to the icy slopes of Mount Ihu. Takua’s eyes and nose streamed, but he found himself laughing. Lewa swung elegantly around, and with another powerful blast, brought them soaring over the jungle once again. Takua’s hands slipped from his shoulders, and before he could panic, he felt gentle air currents holding him up. Both he and Lewa drifted gently to the ground.

            Takua opened his mouth to say something, but his lungs heaved for air. He bent over, hands on his knees, as he brought his breathing back to normal. Once he recovered, he looked up at the air Toa, who was grinning mischievously.

            “That was _awesome_!” Takua cried, laughter bubbling out of him. He and Lewa returned to Le-Koro soon after.

            He made his way back to Ga-Koro to check up on Jaller. As expected, he was with Hahli, who was trying to teach him how to weave a fishing net. Takua saw Jaller’s fingers fumble with the rope for a good minute before Hahli gently pulled it away from him. She showed him how to do it once again, laughing the whole time. Jaller laughed also, if not out of embarrassment.

              Smiling, Takua approached them. He told Jaller it was time to go, and after they both said goodbye to Hahli, headed back towards Ta-Koro.


	13. Stolen Elements

As they entered the Charred Forest, they heard a loud skittering sound. Instinctively, Jaller pulled out his guard staff and held it at the ready.

            “Jaller, wait—“

            “—Show yourself!” Jaller commanded. The skittering only got closer. But Takua knew that sound.

            Takua began walking towards it.

            “Takua, what are you doing?!”

            From the trees burst a very excited Pewku. She ran up to Takua, chittering happily and nudging him with her head.

            “Pewku!” Takua said, embracing his pet, “Haven’t seen you in a while! Have you been a good girl?”

            Pewku chirped, as if in response. Takua laughed, climbing onto her back. He heard Jaller sigh and sheath his guard staff.

            “That thing nearly gave me a heart attack.”

            “Hey, don’t call Pewku a ‘thing’!” Takua said. Jaller ran to catch up with them, rolling his eyes but also sporting an amused smile.

            They walked for a while before reaching the main gate of Ta-Koro. Before getting close, Takua sensed that something was off. Jaller must have as well, because he once again unsheathed his guard staff. They approached the two guards at the entrance, who were both on the ground, unmoving except the occasional twitch of an arm or leg.

            Jaller ran ahead of Takua and Pewku. He kneeled next to one of the guards, placing two fingers on the matoran’s neck.

            “He’s alive,” he said, “barely.” Jaller ran through the gate, and Takua got off Pewku and followed. His pet skittered behind him, chirping warily. The village was too quiet, and Takua felt a creeping sense of dread. He and Jaller followed the trail of stunned matoran to the center of the village, where Turaga Vakama’s hut was. They burst inside, only to find the elder on the floor, stunned and twitching like the rest. Then another sight made them both freeze in place.

            A large Borok was standing in the center of the room, facing the sacred bonfire. It whirled around, rolled up into a ball, and zipped past them, stirring up a small wind in its wake.

            “But…t-they were all…stopped…” Jaller stuttered. Takua couldn’t even make sound come out of his throat. As Jaller kneeled next to Turaga Vakama, Takua bolted out of the hut after the Borok.

            He raced after it until it reached the main gate. Suddenly Toa Tahu jumped onto the scene from seemingly nowhere.

            “Stop right there, intruder!” Tahu shouted, tossing one of his swords at the Borok. It landed right in front of the intruder, stopping it in its tracks. The Borok turned slowly towards the fire Toa. Takua could see the creature was holding something in its claws.

            The object was a square stone tablet, marked with the symbol for fire. It glowed with the same orange light as Tahu’s fiery eyes.

            “You have something of mine. I’d like it back,” Tahu stood his ground, gripping his remaining fire sword with both hands. The blade ignited. The Toa raised the burning sword above his head, ready to blast the creature. As he took a step forward to deliver his attack, the creature began to make horrible hissing laughter. Tahu paused mid-attack. Then the Borok spoke in a voice that made Takua want to bolt away in fear.

            “Sorry, you’re not getting it back,” it hissed. The tablet‘s glow began to fade, and seemed to transfer into the creature’s claws.

            “You’ll be sorry if you don’t hand it over!” Tahu shouted angrily, swinging his sword down. Much to his apparent dismay, the flames fizzled out. Tahu bolted towards the creature, taking another swing. Once again, no flames blazed about, and the creature knocked his sword away with its head. Tahu cried out in pain, clutching his hand as his sword flew backwards and clanked harmlessly onto the rocky ground. Then the creature fired a blast of electricity at a nearby guardpost, collapsing it on top of the fire Toa.

            With sickening dread, Takua watched the matoran guard fall from the tower and several hundred feet to the hard ground. He also saw Tahu throw up his hands in defense as the tower crumbled and fell on top of him.

            “No!” Takua yelled. He glanced at the main gate; the Borok was gone. He turned back to the wreckage and kneeled beside the fallen matoran. The guard was limp, limbs twisted in unnatural ways and blood pouring from his skull. Takua felt sick. Before he could cry out, two Ta-Koro healers ran up to the body, lifting it carefully onto a stretcher before racing towards the village center.

            “T-Toa…” Takua croaked, eyes filling with tears. He’d never seen a matoran die right in front of him like that. Dread gripped his chest hard as he approached the collapsed guard tower. He began pushing the debris around, looking for any sign of Tahu.

            An arm emerged from the rubble, making Takua jump backwards. Tahu sat up in the debris, dirty and shaken, but not seriously injured. Takua felt so much relief he could hardly stand it. He sank to the ground, shaking hard.

            “Damn creature,” Tahu growled, managing to stand up.

            “Y-you’re okay,” Takua whimpered. Though he noticed that Tahu’s eyes no longer were orange, but had faded to gray.

            “Yes, I’m fine, Chronicler. Don’t worry about me,” the fire Toa said kindly.

            “B-but, it _killed_ him…”

            “ _What?!_ ”

            “He’s dead! The g-guard that was in the watchtower!”

            Tahu’s grayed eyes darkened. “That thing won’t get away with this. I’ll _destroy it!_ ” He stalked towards the main gate, picking up his swords on the way and gripping them with enough force to turn his knuckles white.

            Jaller appeared at Takua’s side. His eyes were full of grim determination.

            “Let’s go with him,” Jaller said. Takua, still shaking, nodded in agreement.

            They walked in uncomfortable silence, trailing just behind Tahu. The tracks of the creature led out of the Charred Forest and towards the edge of Le-Wahi. The ground was a bit stonier here, and the tracks were much harder to see. Even when they found the muddy jungle ground, there were no traces of the creature to be seen. Tahu punched a nearby tree, still keeping a white-knuckled grip on his swords.

            “Dammit!” he hissed.

            Before Takua or Jaller could speak up, something large landed hard in front of them with a loud _thud_. Tahu, Jaller, and Takua all gasped in surprise as Toa Lewa pushed himself to his feet, groaning and holding his head in his hands.

            “What happened?” Tahu said, rushing to his brother Toa’s side. Lewa sighed heavily. Takua could see that his normally bright green eyes had faded to grey just like Tahu’s.

            “The wind…wouldn’t answer me…” Lewa said, grey eyes full of pain.

            “So the creature got to you too.”

            “Huh?” Lewa looked blearily at Tahu.

            “My powers are gone too. And it’s because a Borok-looking creature stole a symbol from my village.”

            “Symbol? And it contains our elemental powers?” Lewa stumbled over his own feet and Tahu caught him.

            “Yes, Turaga Vakama told me about it before the attack,” Tahu said, putting his arm around Lewa’s shoulders to steady him.

            “You said it looked like a Borok? But, we stopped the—“

            “—I know,” Tahu said sharply, letting go of Lewa’s shoulders. In a softer tone he continued, “But this one is different. It’s got freaky new powers too. We need to go after it.”

            “Wait, we should see if any of the other Toa were targeted,” Jaller spoke up, and both Toa turned to him.

            “The Ta-Koro Captain’s right,” Lewa said, “We need to check up on the others.”

            Tahu sighed, annoyed. “We’ll loose time trying to catch up with the creature.”

            “Toa Tahu, with all due respect, we don’t even know which direction it’s gone. We lost its trail not ten minutes ago,” Jaller said, “You’re better off finding your companions first.”

            “You should listen to the little one, brother,” Lewa said. Tahu sighed.

            “Fine. Let’s go to Ga-Koro. It’s the closest from here.”

            The two Matoran and two Toa made their way to the seaside village, not speaking the whole way. Takua walked next to Lewa, and noticed whenever a soft breeze blew by, a look of sadness crossed the air Toa’s face. Once they reached the entrance of the village, they saw could see a shrine in the center of the village with a large hole melted through it. With that, the four raced towards it.

            Ga-matoran were gathered around the village center, whispering worriedly. They wordlessly let the four companions through the crowd. Once they reached the shrine, Takua saw Ga-matoran healers covering two badly-burned Ga-Matoran guards with cloths. Takua felt another pang of sickness grip him, nearly closing up his throat. One of the healers saw him and his companions, and began shooing them away.

            “I’m sorry Chronicler, Toa. But we need some space. There’s been a horrible attack.”

            “What happened?” Tahu demanded, making the healer jump. She cleared her throat professionally.

            “Something broke in here and burned up these two guards. They took a tablet with the symbol for water on it. That’s all we know.”

            “Where’s Gali?” Lewa asked, visibly trembling.

            “She may have gone for a walk along the beach,” the healer said, turning back to the covered bodies. Takua, Jaller, Lewa, and Tahu left the shrine in a hurry.

            As they were leaving the village, both Takua and Jaller saw Hahli and Macku from a distance. Hahli was in Macku’s arms, sobbing. Jaller reached out in her direction, eyes shining with concern. Takua put his hand on his friend’s arm. Jaller’s hand slowly lowered.

            “We need to go. Sorry,” Takua said. Jaller nodded in sad agreement.

            They didn’t have to walk far along the beach until they ran into Gali. Her blue eyes had also faded to grey. And she looked crestfallen.

            “Sister!” Lewa said, trotting towards her.

            “Hello Lewa, Tahu. And you brought the Chronicler and the Ta-Koro Captian.” Gali looked in no mood to talk, and her tone was hollow.

            “Our powers were stolen, too,” Tahu said without hesitation, “we need to find the creature that did it.”

            Takua couldn’t say a word. He’d never seen Gali look so defeated before. And he couldn’t bring himself to mention the two dead Ga-Matoran in her village. He momentarily flashed back to the Ta-Matoran guardsman who fell out of the guardtower, and shuttered.

            “Matoran have died as well,” Jaller said gravely, “All the Toa need to get together and find this thing before things get worse!”

            With a pang of relief, Takua saw a spark of determination flash in Gali’s grey eyes.

            “Those bastards will pay for harming the innocent,” Gali snarled.

            Takua and Jaller traveled all over the island, eventually meeting up with the other Toa. All of them have had similar experiences of suddenly losing their elemental powers and having seen a creature leave their village with an elemental symbol in their claws and a few dead or seriously injured villagers left in their wake. Takua and Jaller followed the silent Toa, unable to say anything encouraging for helpful the whole way.


	14. A New Threat

            Everyone made their way to Kini-Nui, the great temple. There Takua and Jaller watched as the Toa discussed their next move.

_It’s horrible to see them this way. I’m not just talking about the loss of their powers. That alone is bad enough, but this loss is really putting the Toa at each other’s throats. And we still don’t know what the creature is and why it wants the Toa’s power symbols, or even what the symbols are and where they came from._

_This is clearly another obstacle from Makuta. It’s just like I was afraid of: Makuta has released something much worse than the Borok swarms._

            “I think we can _all_ agree that there’s more than one creature out there,” Onua was saying, but Tahu was too busy yelling at Kopaka about something else.

            “ _I’m_ the leader here, icebrain,” Tahu said, jabbing a finger at Kopaka’s chest.

            “So that means you know everything? Well, glad that’s cleared up,” the ice Toa snapped. Takua realized he’d never seen Kopaka show any emotion at all, least of all anger.

            “I’m just thinking of what’s best for everyone! And it’s that we should split up to look for the thing that stole our symbols!”

            “Again with the splitting up, Tahu, do you ever learn?” Gali interjected, stepping between him and Kopaka, “We work best when we’re _united._ ”

            “We’ll cover more ground split up.”

            “Did I mention that there’s most likely more than one creature?” Onua said, trying to raise his relatively quiet voice over the argument. Pohatu glanced at Onua, then back at Gali, Kopaka, and Tahu, then brought two fingers to his mouth and let loose a loud whistle. The three jumped and whirled in his direction.

            “Our wise earth friend has something to say,” Pohatu said calmly.

            Onua nodded gratefully to him. “As I was saying,” he said as the other Toa looked on blankly, “In Tahu’s village, the creature attacked with electricity. In Gali’s village, the guards were burned. In Lewa’s village they were assaulted by intense sound. In Pohatu’s it was magnetism that immobilized the villagers, and in mine the villagers were suffocated. No one creature could have all those powers at once.”

            “How do you know?” Lewa said, “It could be one crazy powerful Borok-thing.”

            “Because I think it’s safe to say that we all lost our powers at roughly the same time. One creature couldn’t have gone to all our villages at once. There has to be several, at least six.”

            “Okay great,” Tahu said impatiently, “So what do you suggest we do?”

            Lewa suddenly gasped in pain, hands pressing against the sides of his head.

            “What’s wrong?” asked Kopaka, who was standing next to him.

            Lewa groaned quietly, then opened his eyes wide, glancing at everyone. Takua noticed he’d been holding his breath for a while, and let it out.

            “I heard them again,” Lewa said, shivering.

            “Who?” Pohatu asked.

            “T-the Borok…” Lewa said. There was a collective gasp.

            “How…?” Gali said.

            “It’s different this time,” Lewa said, “the v-voices are different.”

            “What did they say?” Tahu said.

            “That they have…a mission. They need our symbols for their mission…” Lewa’s eyes clouded for a second, and started to collapse to one side. Kopaka caught him.

            “Anything else that could possibly be helpful?” Tahu demanded, rolling his eyes. Gali flashed him a dirty glare.

            “Would you let up? He’s doing his best,” she said.

            “I’m sorry, but if that’s his best, then we have no more chance of finding these creatures than we did before,” Tahu said. Kopaka left Lewa’s side, strolled up to Tahu and swiftly punched him square in the face. Tahu stumbled, falling to one knee. He looked up at Kopaka with a stunned expression. In an instant, Tahu’s eyes flashed and he lunged at the ice Toa.

            He had Kopaka in a chokehold. Though he gasped for air, Kopaka gritted his teeth and stared hard at Tahu, gripping the fire Toa’s wrists and trying to pull his hands off his throat. Gali leapt in between them, shoving them both hard in the chest with one hand. Tahu and Kopaka flew apart, and both tried leaping at each other again. Before Gali could be caught in the middle, Pohatu grabbed Kopaka from behind, holding him back while Onua did the same to Tahu.

            Kopaka seemed to calm down at Pohatu’s touch, but Tahu still flailed his arms, trying to break out of Onua’s hold.

            “Brother, please!” Onua said, tightening his grip around the fire Toa’s waist. Gali stepped up to Tahu, staring him dead in the eye.

            “Tahu, stop it. This isn’t helping.”

            Tahu stared back at Gali, and finally stopped struggling. Onua released him. Kopaka scowled, avoiding Tahu’s gaze. All six Toa stood around for a few solid minutes, breathing hard. Takua shifted his weight between his feet. Just by standing next to him, Takua could tell Jaller was as stiff and uncomfortable as he was.

            Takua had really expected more from them at a time like this. Tahu often lost his temper when he shouldn’t, but never had he openly tried to hurt a fellow Toa. Kopaka rarely showed any emotion, and he certainly never started fights. Though neither of them had their elemental powers, fire and ice still managed to clash.

            Takua took a deep breath, suddenly feeling words forming in his throat that needed to be said. He felt a swell of courage in his chest that compelled him to speak for the first time in hours. He walked up to the group of frazzled Toa, stopping in their midst.

            “You’re better than this,” he said, mostly addressing Tahu and Kopaka, “you’re all brothers in arms. The loss of your powers means you need to stick closer together than ever before. Mata Nui can’t afford to lose its six mighty heroes just because they disagree. Don’t you think this is exactly what Makuta wants?”

            Tahu and Kopaka glanced sideways at each other. The other Toa also exchanged looks with one another. Takua felt a boost in his confidence as he saw the mighty Toa acknowledging his words.

            “Fighting amongst yourselves won’t bring your powers back, and it won’t stop those creatures. Unity Duty and Destiny! Remember?”

            The Toa all began muttering their agreement with the young Chronicler. Wordlessly, Kopaka strode to Tahu’s side. He held out his hand. Tahu stared at it for a moment, grasped it, and shook it. Kopaka nodded to him, and Tahu nodded back.

            “Great, that’s a good start. I won’t intrude any longer,” Takua said, retreating to where Jaller sat. He took a seat next to his friend as the Toa began discussing their plan of action, much more civilly this time. Jaller nudged Takua, and gave his friend an approving smile. Takua felt warmed by Jaller’s silent encouragement. His muscles relaxed as he turned his attention back to the Toa’s discussion.

            “So, if Onua’s theory is correct, there are at least six Borok-like creatures out there, with stone icons that contain our elemental powers,” Tahu was saying, “I think the best strategy right now is to split up and look for them.”

            “And _I_ think the best way is to stick together,” Gali said, keeping her voice and her temper even, “With a show of hands, who thinks Tahu’s plan is best?”

            Much to her visible dismay, Lewa, Pohatu, and Tahu all raised their hands.

            “And Gali’s plan?” Tahu said. Kopaka, Gali, and Onua raised their hands.

            “It’s a tie. What do we do?” Pohatu said. Without a word, Tahu began to take his leave. Gali shouted in protest.

            “Hold on, Tahu! Where do you think you’re going?”

            “To get my powers back, that’s what,” Tahu said simply.

            Before Gali could protest, Lewa rushed past her excitedly. “Sorry sister!” he said in passing, “I just think this’ll be faster!” Pohatu jogged after him, and soon the three Toa had disappeared into the surrounding trees.

            Kopaka glared darkly into the area where they vanished. “Idiots,” he spat. Gali walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

            “It can’t be helped now,” she sighed. Kopaka’s expression faded and became stony once again.

            “Then us three should go together,” Onua suggested. Gali and Kopaka nodded and they began to leave.

            Takua sighed heavily and ran after them, Jaller following close behind.


	15. The Borok-Kal

            Takua and Jaller followed Gali, Kopaka, and Onua from Kini-Nui to the outskirts of Le-Koro. All five of them searched for footprints and environmental damage any of the six creatures could have caused. After walking for about twenty minutes, Kopaka stopped in his tracks, causing the others to pause as well.

            “Kopaka?” Gali said.

            “We’re getting nowhere,” said Kopaka, his faded grey eyes downcast.

            “What else can we do?” Onua said.

            Kopaka sighed heavily. “That’s the problem. We can’t track them, and we don’t know where any of them are going. There’s nothing we can do unless one of those creatures shows up.”

            “Creatures? Well that’s a rude word to use.”

            The matoran and Toa all whirled towards the source of the hissing voice. A large Borok stood on a ledge above them. Its armor was blue, and shinier than those of the regular Borok, and its claws were larger as well. Its gleaming red eyes scanned all of their faces, and narrowed in amusement.

            “You’re one of the thieves!” Gali said, pointing at it with one of her axes. The creature let out a burst of hissy laughter.

            “I’m not a fan of the word ‘thief’ either. I’m just doing my job. And all of you are in my way.”

            “What do you want with our powers?” Kopaka demanded, unsheathing his long blade. Onua readied his twin drills. Takua stuck close to Jaller, who gripped his guard staff hard, staring wide-eyed at the large Borok.

            “Wouldn’t you like to know,” the creature said, and leapt high into the air. The matoran and Toa alike braced themselves as it fell back to the earth, rolling up into a ball and landing hard on its feet right in front of them. Before any of them could react, the creature held up its claws, and soon every weapon flew from their hands.

            They all stared in dismay as the large Borok hissed in glee, with all their weapons in a ball stuck to one another floating in front of it. Takua and Jaller were rooted where they stood, but Gali, Kopaka, and Onua rushed forward to attack.

            With a flick of its claw, the creature pointed all the weapons at the advancing Toa, and shot them towards its attackers. They all ducked and rolled, their own weapons nearly missing them by inches. All three Toa scrambled to claim their weapons, which had buried their tips in the soft jungle ground.

            The large Borok hissed again and leapt towards Gali first. She managed to reclaim her twin axes just in time to block one of its large claws with both of them. She pushed against the creature, but it had managed to bend her over backwards. Her feet began to sink into the soft jungle ground. Behind the creature, Kopaka and Onua tried for a sneak attack, but the large Borok swiftly raised its free claw, and the two Toa were slammed into each other, their armor making a loud _clang_.

            Onua and Kopaka were stuck shoulder to shoulder, and their feet scrambled underneath them trying to pull free of each other.

            “We’re magnetized!” Onua said, strain in his voice. Kopaka let out a short huff of breath, gritting his teeth.

            “Gali!” He shouted, pushing against Onua’s shoulder armor with both hands and one of his feet.

            Takua rushed forward without thinking any more. He jumped onto the creature’s back, distracting it from Gali long enough to allow her escape. The creature threw him off rather easily, and Takua landed hard on his rear end several yards away. Out of the corner of his eye, Takua could see Gali doing her best to separate Kopaka and Onua’s armor.

            Much to his surprise and relief, the creature turned away from him and the others, and began running back into the jungle. Jaller appeared at his side, helping him stand up. And a few yards away, Gali let out one final grunt and Onua and Kopaka were finally separated. Kopaka jumped to his feet, but Onua remained sitting on the ground.

            “I’ve lost my connection to the earth,” Onua said sadly, eyes fixed on the ground, “I didn’t even hear it coming.”

            “It’s okay Onua,” Gali offered her hand to him, “It’s not your fault.”

            “I could’ve frozen him solid. Would’ve been that easy,” Kopaka said, running his fingers roughly through his white hair.

            “We can’t give up already,” Gali said, helping Onua to his feet. “Believe me, I feel just awful being separated from the sea. But we haven’t lost all our powers.”

            “What do you mean?” Kopaka didn’t sound at all encouraged. Onua remained silent, and continued staring at the ground.

            “Don’t you remember our kanohi?”

            “…Kanohi?” Takua asked, immediately intrigued.

            “Those aren’t enough to combat something with magnetism powers,” Kopaka said simply.

            Gali ignored him and instead addressed Takua’s question. “Our kanohi are natural abilities that we possess along with our elemental control. They aren’t as…impressive…per say…”

            “Gali can breathe underwater. Onua has twice as much strength as the average Toa. And I have X-ray vision,” Kopaka interrupted, “They’re secondary to our elemental abilities.”

            “Maybe so, but we also still have wits, and willpower, and…”

            “Each other?” Onua sighed, “wish that was true.”

            Gali huffed angrily. “Brothers, this negative attitude will get us nowhere—“

            “—Hold on,” Kopaka said, his cybernetic eye clicked and scanned the area ahead of them. Just then, they all heard the air humming ominously far off in the distance.

            The three Toa sprang into action, and began sprinting towards the source of the sound. Takua and Jaller looked at each other then began stumbling after them. They seemed to be running for longer than an hour before Takua and Jaller came upon a clearing in the jungle. Gali, Kopaka, and Onua were standing around a figure lying on the ground. The two matoran ran up to them for a closer look.

            Takua gasped. There lay Lewa, curled up on his side, hands pressed against his ears. His eyes were watering and his mouth was slightly open, letting out short gasping breaths. Onua kneeled by the stunned air Toa, trying to pry a hand away from his ear. Lewa resisted, and squeezed his eyes shut.

            “N-no…no…I don’t want to h-hear it ag-again…” Lewa whimpered.

            “You’re okay, brother,” Onua said gently, “You’re safe.”

            They all knelt around Lewa until his breathing became more even, and finally he removed his own hands from his ears. He sat up, eyes bleary as if from sleep.

            “What happened?” Kopaka asked, and Lewa winced.

            “Kopaka, keep your voice down! My ears are still ringing…”

            “Sorry,” Kopaka said in a quieter voice, “was it one of those creatures?”

            “The Borok-Kal, yeah,” Lewa said.

            “Borok-Kal?” said Onua.

            “That’s what they’re called. Borok-Kal. I’ve been picking up their mind-thoughts.”

            “Even after all this time separated from the swarms,” Gali commented, placing a hand on Lewa’s shoulder to comfort him. He placed his hand on top of hers.

            “Yeah. Can’t control it. But I heard this Borok-Kal thinking about its mission, and stealing our powers, then when I tried to sneak up on it, it blasted me with sound. H-horrible sound…” Lewa gripped the sides of his head again, moaning softly.

            “I knew it was a bad idea to separate,” Kopaka said sternly, “Everyone should have listened to Gali.”

            “We should find the others,” Lewa said, perking up suddenly, “The Borok-Kal are trying to find the Bahrag. That’s their mission. We need to stop them!”

            “And what do they want with our power icons?” Onua said, helping Lewa to his feet.

            “All I heard them say was our powers were ‘the key to awakening the queens.’”

            Takua felt his blood ice over. If those Borok-Kal awakened the Bahrag again, the swarms would return. And Mata Nui could be destroyed. Jaller stood up suddenly, and Takua looked up at him. He had that old look on his face, the Captain of the Guard all-business-no-nonsense look.

            “I have an important errand to run. I’ll take my leave now, Toa,” Jaller said, bowing to all of them and running off into the jungle.

            “Wait! Jaller!” Takua called, but his friend didn’t answer. He disappeared into the thick foliage.

            “I’ll escort him, Chronicler,” Onua offered, rising up to his full height, “I’ll make sure he’s safe.”

            “Thank you, Toa,” Takua said, and Onua took his leave as well.

            “You can stick with us for now, Chronicler,” Gali said, smiling, “Important things are happening, after all. You’re in the middle of all the action.”

            Takua smiled, but couldn’t bring himself to laugh at the little joke. He dug into his bag and pulled out his notes.

 

           _We’ve had an important development regarding the dangerous situation at hand. The creatures that stole the powers of the mighty Toa Nuva are the Borok-Kal, which appear to be an elite group of Borok determined to set the Bahrag—and in turn the swarms—free once again._

_They wield terrifying powers and in comparison the Toa Nuva are powerless. How can they hope to win in this situation? I’ve seen what these creatures can do, and what they are willing to do to achieve their goals. Matoran have died._

_At least the Toa have not decided to give up just yet. They’re discouraged, but they’re still fighting. And the way things are going, that’s going to have to be enough to face this threat._

 

            Takua walked with Gali, Kopaka, and Lewa for what seemed like an eternity. Gali had suggested trying to meet up with the other Toa before going back down to the Bahrag’s lair. But no one knew where the other Toa or the Borok-Kal were.

            “Hear anything from them, Lewa?” Gali asked.

            Lewa’s usually cheerful demeanor was replaced with a clouded expression. His eyes were lifeless, especially since losing their vibrant green color. “Nothing,” he said tonelessly, “they probably know I can hear them, and are keeping their mind-thoughts secret.”

            Gali didn’t try to start another conversation for a long time. She stared at the ground as they walked. Kopaka trailed a few paces behind the both of them. Takua felt a lingering sense of depression seeing the normally strong and stoic Toa of Ice looking so downcast. His brow was furrowed, and his grey eyes were clouded with worry. Takua didn’t dare say a word; he had a feeling his words wouldn’t do much good at this moment.

            There was a rustling in the trees. By natural instinct, Takua jumped slightly, scanning the area for the source of the noise. But the three Toa didn’t even flinch.

            “What was that?” Takua said, hoping they would spring into action.

            “Probably just a rahi,” Kopaka said dismissively.

            The rustling got louder.

            “Guys, it’s getting closer,” Takua said.

            “Let it come,” Lewa said darkly, “Doesn’t matter what it is at this point.”

            Takua whirled around and the immense insectoid form of a Borok-Kal loomed over him.

            “Guys, seriously! Snap out of it!” Takua sprung backwards to avoid the Kal’s swinging claws.

            “Yes, Toa, snap out of your little funk!” the Kal said. This one had green armor. With a mixture of awe and terror Takua wondered what power this one wielded.

            The three Toa behind Takua finally stopped and turned around. All three looked angry.

            “With pleasure,” Gali hissed at the Borok-Kal. She nodded at Lewa and Kopaka, who nodded back. The three of them joined hands, and their forms shimmered and shifted. Takua felt a surge of excitement and a grin spread across his face. In their place, the titan Wairuha stood, spear in hand. He stared down at Takua, who felt smaller than ever. Though his eyes were colorless like the three Toa that made up his form, Wairuha’s stare was full of light and determination.

            “Hello, little one,” Wairuha said pleasantly, “is this brute bothering you?” he pointed the tip of his spear at the Borok-Kal, who held its claws at the ready.

            Takua laughed and gave the giant a thumbs-up. Wairuha stepped forward, and got into a fighting stance, spear at the ready. Takua wisely decided to step several yards away. He climbed a nearby tree for good measure, getting an ideal vantage point for the battle.

            “Your move, beast! Hit me with all you’ve got!” Wairuha declared. He waited as the Borok-Kal curled up into its ball form and rolled forward.  Right before it reached him, Wairuha swung his spear down, pinning the Kal onto the ground. The creature unrolled itself, breaking free of the titan’s hold.

            Wairuha’s arm was knocked back slightly, but he quickly recovered and reassumed his stance. The Kal raised its claws, and a small whirlwind surrounded Wairuha. At first, there was no effect, but Takua felt his muscles tense as he saw the giant clutch at his own throat, gasping soundlessly and sinking down onto one knee. The Borok-Kal lowered its claws again, making the whirlwind stop. Wairuha coughed desperately for a good long minute.

            “Aw, isn’t that sad?” the creature said in a light happy tone, “Three of you _combined_ still isn’t enough!”

            Wairuha got his breath back, and stood to his full height once again.

            “It’s _more_ than enough, you foul creature!”

            Wairuha sprang forward, brandishing his spear. Over and over again, metal crashed against the hard material the creature’s claw was made of. Takua was tense all over, clinging to his tree branch as if it would help Wairuha win somehow. The relentless clashing of spear and claw went on for a few good minutes, until both hit each other so hard they flew apart. Wairuha was visibly heaving for breath, but the Borok-Kal seemed unaffected.

            “Oh, you’re just too strong,” The Kal cooed mockingly, “It seems like I could use some help from my friends.” The Kal drew back its dome-like head and let out a long ear-piercing screech. Takua could see Wairuha cover his ears, mirroring his own pain.

            In no time, two other Borok-Kal appeared at the green one’s side: the white one and the blue one. Wairuha stood his ground, even though his great chest was still heaving and sweat beaded on his forehead.

            Much to the titan’s—and Takua’s—dismay the three Borok-Kal began to shimmer and morph, much like Gali, Kopaka, and Lewa did. Soon in their place stood a larger creature, a titanic beetle-like monster with several pairs of claws and even shinier armor than the three creatures that made it up. Wairuha took a step backwards, still gripping his spear but holding it closer to his body. Takua felt his heart sink so low that it probably fell out onto the ground.

            The Borok titan blasted a combined wave of energy from all of its claws, and it struck Wairuha dead-on. The great titan was trapped in a humming orb of energy, in which Takua could see that he was suffocating, while also being bombarded with sound. His armor was also being slowly ripped apart, tugging at flesh, causing him to bleed. Takua wanted to cry out for the monster to stop, but just as he opened his mouth it did. The monster shimmered, and separated into the three Borok-Kal.

            “That was too easy,” the white one said, “Almost…boring.”

            “We have a mission to do, this is just a waste of time,” the blue one agreed.

            “See you later, mighty Toa!” the green one cackled, and the three creatures vanished into the foliage.

            Takua scrambled down from his tree, and ran over to Wairuha, who was doubled over. Before Takua could reach him, Wairuha shimmered and split, leaving behind the limp forms of Gali, Kopaka, and Lewa. The three Toa moaned, nursing smaller injuries that carried over from Wairuha’s large ones. Takua couldn’t help but feel relieved they were all still alive, at least.

            Gali was the first to sit up. She struck the ground hard with her fist.

            “Not even Wairuha stood a chance…” she said. Takua could see her hands trembling.

            “This is what I’ve been saying this whole time,” Kopaka said, his voice lifeless, “Without our elemental control we’re useless.”

            Lewa didn’t say anything, but he looked close to tears.

            Takua didn’t get a chance to try encouraging them again, because they all heard a distinctly familiar shout.

            “You’ll rue the day you decided to tangle with me!”

            “Tahu!” Gali said, and the other two Toa seemed to perk up as well.

            They all sprinted in the direction of the shouting. Through a particularly thick wall of leaves and branches was another clearing, in which stood the Toa of Fire, face to face with another Borok-Kal, a brown-armored one.

            “Take another step, and you’ll regret crawling out of your hole in the ground,” Tahu hissed at the creature, who hissed back in laughter.

            “Ooh, tough guy,” the Kal mocked. The two opponents circled, facing each other, weapons and claws at the ready. Tahu was gritting his teeth so hard Takua wouldn’t have been surprised if he could never open his jaw again.

            As Takua and the three Toa entered the clearing, the Borok-Kal turned its attention away from Tahu for a split second. Tahu took the opportunity and lunged forward, brandishing his swords.

            There was a loud clang, and the Kal stumbled backwards a few steps. It stared at Tahu, seemingly unaffected.

            “At least you got one hit in,” it hissed then raised its claws, pointing them at Takua. They began to glow a bright orange, and in a split second, Takua felt the air around him heat up drastically. There was a bright flash, and suddenly Tahu leapt in front of him, right in the path of the creature’s attack.

            Takua flinched, covering his face with his arms. But he didn’t feel like he was burning. Opening his eyes, he saw Tahu in between him and the Kal, swords crossed. And a nearly transparent dome of energy surrounded them both. Outside the protective bubble, the creature’s heated attack bounced off the surface of the dome and dissipated.

            “Your kanohi!” Takua exclaimed.

            The dome disappeared, and Tahu glanced backwards at Takua. “Are you alright?”

            “Yes, Toa. Thank you!”

            “Don’t thank me just yet.” Tahu sprinted towards the Borok-Kal once again, who was running back into the trees. “Come face me, coward!”

            But the Kal slipped into the thick jungle foliage, its hissing laughter fading quickly. Tahu let out a growl of frustration and kept running. Before he reached the edge of the clearing, Kopaka sprinted past Takua, caught up with Tahu, and grabbed his arm.

            “Don’t, Tahu! It’s not worth it,” Kopaka said. Tahu whirled at him, grey eyes blazing with fury. Kopaka held his gaze steadily. “Please, if we’re going to face the Kal, it should be all together. Fighting them alone is suicide.”

            Takua clenched his jaw and his fists, bracing himself for another fight, but much to his surprise, the anger faded from Tahu’s face. Kopaka carefully let go of the fire Toa’s arm, which fell limply to his side.

            “You’re right,” Tahu said, “Let’s regroup, then.”

            “Wow,” Kopaka said, cracking a small smile, “saying that had to hurt.”

            “Let’s just go,” Tahu said with a twinge of annoyance in his voice. They began to leave the clearing, and Gali and Lewa followed suit. Takua released the tension from his muscles, a relieved sigh escaping his lips.


	16. Together They Are Strong

_After several brutal encounters with the enemy, the Toa have finally gathered back together to come up with a plan to get their powers back and prevent the return of the swarms. With Lewa’s intimate knowledge of the Borok-Kal’s mission, all six have agreed to return to the Bahrag’s lair together._

_Surprisingly enough, Jaller had returned, along with Nuparu, the Onu-Matoran inventor. With them they brought six larger versions of the Boxor armor. I have to say, this might just be the thing to help the Toa combat the Kal. Nuparu had described the armor as being made of “non-magnetizable” material, with protective head domes to provide air as a counter to the green Kal’s vacuum attacks. The domes were also sound-proof, with simple communication links so the Toa could still talk to each other in combat._

_All I can say is thank Mata Nui for Nuparu._

_Soon I will be forming a link with Toa Gali once again to witness the Toa’s battle with the Kal. Even with all the craziness that has been happening lately, there’s no job I’d rather be doing right now._

            Takua drifted behind the Toa as they made their second trip down into the Bahrag’s lair. When they reached the chamber where the Bahrag were frozen in their prisons made from the combined elemental might of the Toa, Takua could almost feel a chill, even if he wasn’t really there.

            In between the two Bahrag’s prisons was a floating cube. Each side had a different elemental symbol on it. The six Borok-Kal were already there, clutching the Toa’s power symbols that matched.

            It’s like a lock with six keys, Takua thought.

            The Toa, clad in their new armor, sprinted towards the Borok-Kal.

            All out pandemonium broke out in the chamber. Kal claws clashed with the hard metallic appendages of the suits of armor. The green Borok-Kal formed a whirlwind that sucked the air out of the room, but the Toa still advanced unaffected. The green one, in a huff, released a powerful blast of air that knocked all the Toa off their feet. In their clunky armor, it was difficult for them to get back up. Onua was one of the first to stand again, but a black-armored Borok-Kal pointed its claws at him, and he collapsed heavily to the ground, and even sank a few inches into the stone floor.

            The white one released a barrage of sound. The Toa were shielded from the sound itself, but soon the walls and ceiling began to crack, and large chunks of stone fell towards them. All six of them dove and dodged the rocks, but barely had time to recover before the brown Kal directed his claws to the floor beneath them and melted the stone into pure plasma. They all scrambled to get out of the pool. One leg from Lewa’s armor suit dissolved and sunk into the plasma, but he pulled his own leg free just in time.

            Soon Takua witnessed all six Toa running about the chamber, diving from the Kals’ attacks, and desperately trying to get a few swings on them. Kopaka managed to hit a Kal from behind, knocking it down onto its knees. But it whirled and swiftly swiped his feet from underneath him. Lewa hopped about on one foot, since the armor on his other leg had fallen off. He ducked from a swing from the blue Kal, who seemed frustrated since its magnetic powers barely worked on the Toa’s armor suits. Pohatu and Onua both charged at the white one, slamming it on each side with their shoulders. It collapsed to the ground, stunned for a bit.

            Takua felt a twinge of hope. Maybe if the fight stayed hand-to-hand, the Toa could beat them right then and there. But that small hope dissipated quickly once Takua saw that with every blow a Toa made on a Kal, the Kal hit back, nearly three times harder. The Toa grew visibly tired. One of the arms on Gali’s armor had fallen off. Tahu stumbled and tripped on a piece of his armor that had come loose near his foot. The Toa armor was crumbling off all of them, and slowly but surely they began to retreat back to the cave entrance, shedding the remnants.

            “They’re giving up!” the blue Kal cried, “let’s finish our mission!”

            “Soon you’ll be free, our queens!” the green one agreed. All six Kal grabbed the Toa symbols they’d been keeping on their backs and strode confidently towards the cube.

            The Toa held back in the entrance of the chamber, almost huddled together in fear. All of them where breathing heavily. Kopaka leaned an arm on Pohatu’s shoulder for support, while Lewa knelt on the stone floor, hands clasping his knees.

            “What do we do now?” Lewa whispered, wiping breads of sweat from his brow.

            “I have something,” Tahu said, “I didn’t want to use it…”

            “Use what?” Pohatu asked, who was shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

            Tahu glanced over at the Borok-Kal, which were all about to place the power symbols on the cube. He turned back to his companions. “We don’t have much time. I’ll use it, and all of you make a run for it. Get our symbols back as quickly as possible. Got it?”

            All the Toa had expressions that ranged from panicked confusion to mild suspicion, but they all nodded in agreement. Takua held his breath as Tahu stepped boldly out into the chamber. He reached into a pouch on his belt, and pulled out a small totem. It was made from a reddish stone, with small markings that Takua couldn’t make out.

            Tahu stopped in his tracks, and raised the totem above his head. Pointing it towards the Borok-Kal, ripples of energy began radiating from the totem. The creatures’ movements slowed drastically, until they seemed to stop completely. After just a few moments, Tahu’s arms began to tremble.

            “Go, everyone! Get our symbols back!” he cried with a strained voice.

            The five other Toa rushed forward. They sprinted in unison past their Toa brother, reaching out to the nearly-frozen Borok-Kal. Pohatu, being the fastest runner, reached them first, but struck something and fell backwards.

            “What? Are you kidding me?” he exclaimed. Lewa reached the same spot second, and he too was thrown backwards. Pohatu got himself off the ground and reached out with his hand. His arm was jolted back. “They’ve got a shield,” Pohatu said glumly, turning and holding a hand out to Lewa to help him up.

            “What now?” Onua said, shoulders slumping.

            Gali looked back at Tahu, who was shaking all over, still holding the totem. His knees could buckle at any minute. “I have an idea,” the Toa of Water said. All Toa faced her.

            “H-hurry, guys!” Tahu said, knees bending under an unseen weight.

            “We may be able to mentally connect with our power symbols. We could release their energy and reabsorb it!” Gali said.

            “I’m willing to try anything at this point,” Lewa said.

            The others agreed, and after closing their eyes they each stretched out a hand in the direction of the Borok-Kal and their symbols. One by one, the tablets in the Kals’ claws began to glow, forming the shape of each elemental symbol.

            Eyes still closed in concentration, Gali called out to Tahu. “Brother! You can stop now. Mentally reach out to your symbol!”

            The energy ripples ceased, and Tahu collapsed onto his knees. As he gasped for breath, he too raised a hand with the others. His symbol began to glow with the rest of them. The Borok-Kal began to move at regular speed once again, the symbols in their claws mere centimeters from the cube.

            The creatures noticed the glow from the symbols, and pulled back from the cube. The six Toa stood their ground, and the glow began to get brighter. Takua noticed that the glow was beginning to filter into the claws of the Kal; the Toa weren’t absorbing their own energies. They’re feeding the Kal energy, he thought in horror.

            “Hey, anyone else feel…stronger?” the green Kal said. The six Borok looked at each other in what seemed to be amazement.

            “You’re right! It’s the symbols!” the blue one said, cackling.

            “We could even surpass the Bahrag,” the brown one hissed. The others cackled, and mounted the Toa symbols onto their own backs.

            Takua could see the Toa’s collective dismay. Most of them had sunk to the ground in tired defeat. All of them, that is, except Gali who stood strong, still reaching for her symbol.

            “Keep going, Toa!” the white one shouted triumphantly, “Give us more!”

            Gali’s symbol was on the white one’s back. Her grey eyes flew open and she gave it the darkest glare Takua had ever seen on her face. “Our power is all yours, you bastards,” she said, lowering her arm. The glow ceased. The Kal seemed to vibrate with excitement.

            “This is incredible,” the white one said.

            “I feel so much more powerful!” the black one said.

            The Kal cackled in unison, swaying and stumbling around. All six creatures dropped the elemental symbols on the chamber floor. The white one raised its claws.

            “We don’t need the queens anymore! We could command the swarms on our own! We co—“ suddenly the white Kal released a concentrated orb of sound from its claws that surrounded itself. In a split second, from inside the orb the Toa heard a faint crackle and a boom, and the white Kal crumpled to the floor in a heap of its own limbs. Its head dome had cracked, and every one of its muscles twitched and jerked.

            “What was—“ the green one started, but its claws released a blast of air straight downwards, propelling it towards the ceiling which it crashed through. The Toa never saw it fall back down.

            “I can’t control… what is this…” the black one croaked as the force of its own gravity powers began to crush its body. It crumpled and shrank until there was nothing left but a tiny black hole in the middle of the chamber.

            The blue Kal suddenly was able to lift the pieces of the Toa armor suits, but was suddenly bombarded and crushed by the heavy metallic pieces that flew towards it at immeasurable speed. The brown one accidentally created a small pool of plasma around itself, which it sank into and dissolved. The remaining red Kal spun and reeled from the shock at the loss of its comrades, and in its distress its claws released a torrent of electricity, and fried itself to a crisp. It collapsed limply onto the floor.

            The Toa stood in silence for what felt like forever. Takua felt overwhelming joy flood his very soul. Without saying a word to each other, the Toa found each of their respective elemental symbols. Each tablet glowed, and in turn each Toa’s eyes returned to their normal color. An excited grin spread across Tahu’s face, and he fired a bolt of fire upwards. It scorched the ceiling above him with a satisfying impact.

            “Finally!” he exclaimed. The other Toa each released a portion of their elemental power, to ensure they were really back to their old selves. Lewa whooped in delight, twirling upwards in a small tornado he created. Onua split open the floor, and from the crack Gali called forth a wave of water, which Kopaka in turn froze solid. Pohatu kicked around the loose boulders that lay about from the battle, laughing.

            After their small celebration, all six took a moment to rest. Pohatu gave Kopaka a friendly pat on the shoulder. The Ice Toa gave him a genuine smile. Gali and Onua laughed as Lewa chased Tahu around, trying to blow out a small flame in the fire Toa’s hand.

            Takua looked at each of their faces, taking in as much of the moment as he could. They were laughing together, telling jokes, and playing like carefree matoran. He even saw Tahu and Kopaka exchange a few laughs. He felt a sense of peace that seemed to soothe him like cold water.

            “Gali,” Tahu said, interrupting another bout of laughter. Gali paused and met his gaze, eyes wide with curiosity. “How did you know that would work? With the whole thing with our symbols?”

            Gali smiled. “I took a wild guess. I thought that if the Kal absorbed the energy from our symbols, they’d gain too much power to control.”

            “It was a brilliant idea, sister,” Kopaka nudged her encouragingly.

            “Thank you, Kopaka,” Gali said, brushing a lock of silver hair from her face.

            “Not to mention Tahu’s heroic little stunt back there!’ Pohatu exclaimed happily, slapping the fire Toa on the back. “What was that, brother?”

            Tahu looked hesitant for a moment. “It was something Turaga Vakama gave me a while back.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out the totem again. “He called it the Vahi. And he told me to only use it in the most dire of circumstances.”

            “Thank Mata Nui you had that,” Lewa chirped. His green eyes were shining once again, and he was bouncing happily like he normally did.

            “Yeah,” Tahu said, giving the air Toa a small smile, “I just hope I never need to use it again.”

            “To control time is a huge responsibility,” Onua said, “You don’t need that burden.”

            “Well said, earth-brother!” Pohatu said.

            After a few more exchanges, the Toa left the Bahrag’s lair together. Takua mentally pulled away from Gali, and returned to his body. After jotting down a few more notes in his notebook, he began sprinting towards Ta-Koro. The Wall of History wasn’t going to write itself, after all.


	17. Time to Breathe

            The kolhii ball whizzed past Takua’s head, and he could feel the wind from it rush through his hair.

            “Watch it, Jaller! You almost hit me!”

            “You have to pay attention to the ball!”

            “I was, but you throw at light-speed!”

            Jaller cracked a smile. He swung his kolhii stick up and rested it on his shoulder. “I’m that good, huh?”

            Takua snorted, rolling his eyes. “Why did Vakama pick me for the team?"

            “Because you’re good…when you decide to be,” Jaller picked up another kolhii ball and tossed it in the air, catching it in the cup end of the kolhii stick. He tossed the ball hard once again, and Takua dove for it, extending his kolhii stick as far as he could reach. With a satisfying _plink_ , the ball landed in the cup end of the stick.

            “See? What did I tell you?” Jaller said, holding his stick at the ready, “Now throw it ba—“

            The kolhii ball smacked Jaller on the forehead. He doubled over in pain, and Takua’s breath caught in his throat.

            “Mata Nui! I’m so sorry—“

            Jaller, still clutching his forehead, began laughing. And Takua gave in and joined him.

            Later that day the two friends decided to walk to Ga-Koro and visit Hahli. When they arrived, they found their friend practicing on Ga-Koro’s makeshift kolhii field. She and Macku where tossing the ball back and forth fluidly, like their kolhii sticks were extension of their own arms.

            “Don’t tell me they’re our opponents,” Takua groaned. He glanced at Jaller, and saw that his friend’s mouth agape. As Takua expected, Jaller’s gaze was fixed on Hahli. He felt a grin spread across his face, and gave Jaller a push from behind. “Let’s go say hi,” Takua whispered. Jaller stumbled forward slightly and came back to his senses. Takua followed him to the arena.

            Takua, Jaller, Hahli, and Macku hung out for most of the day, tossing the kolhii ball back and forth, chatting and laughing, and chasing each other around the arena. For a moment, Takua stood back as Macku caught Jaller in a headlock and Hahli looked on, laughing harder than he’d ever seen her laugh. He stood there watching, taking in the moment.

            The sun was out; it’d had been months since he’d seen it. It blazed on the surface of the surrounding water, reflective sparkles dancing before his eyes. The sky was the brightest blue he’d ever seen in too long. For this moment, Takua almost forgot all the things that had happened recently. For a bright, glorious moment, things like infected rahi, Borok and Borok-Kal never existed. There was no Makuta on his island.

            He snapped out of the moment as a kolhii ball flew at his face. He caught it just in time, gasping in surprise.

            “Hey, Great Chronicler!” Macku called, “You gonna daydream forever?”

            Takua smiled, tossing the kolhii ball in the air and catching it back in his hand. He ran over to his friends to play some more.

            Takua and Jaller returned to Ta-Koro that evening, right before it got dark. Before they left Ga-Koro Takua had noticed Jaller almost try to give Hahli a hug, but he withdrew nervously at the last minute. Takua laughed to himself, rolling his eyes. The two friends entered the gates, where they saw Toa Tahu standing vigilantly as if he were a part of the Ta-Matoran guard. He nodded to them, and they both nodded back in respect.

            Jaller needed to report to Turaga Vakama to make up some guard duty he’d blown off to travel with Takua, so the two friends parted ways. Takua decided to check up on the Wall of History. He’d nearly completed it; he just needed to add the last bit about the Toa’s final battle with the Borok-Kal. He walked past Turaga Vakama’s hut and into the cave entrance behind it.

            Inside was the Wall of History, which was comprised of a small hallway covered in carvings. It contained the history of the matoran on Mata Nui, most of which Takua had written. There were some scrawlings that he had wanted to look at for a while, but at this moment he resolved to finish his work first. Digging into his bag, he pulled out a small hammer and chisel and began carving out matoran letters on the wall.

            After about an hour, he sat back from his handiwork, wiping sweat from his forehead. He dropped his chisel and patted his dusty hands on his pants. As Takua walked slowly along the hallway, he passed thousands of years of history. He traveled back in time, rereading histories he’d written but forgotten about, and finally came to the scrawling that wasn’t his.

            These carvings were clearly older than the ones he’d made, and some were really hard to read. They also consisted of small murals depicting events of a past Takua never knew existed. He saw great battles, death, triumph, bonds torn apart and mended. He looked all over the wall to try to find some names, some hint as to who had written it.

            There was a part on the bottom, close to the floor, which had accumulated lots of dirt and dust. Takua began brushing it away with his fingers, and after becoming impatient in his curiosity, blew a puff of air at it. Dust exploded in the air, flying into his eyes and down his throat, sending him into a coughing fit.

            Takua quickly recovered, blinked the tears from his eyes and gazed on the newly uncovered scene. He saw six figures, and just to the right of them was a seventh, with rays of light emanating from it. Below that was the shining figure pointing a staff-like weapon at a swirling, dark mass. Below that was a large cluster of circles gathered around that same figure. In the corner of the mural, was a small symbol. It looked like a face, with rectangular eyes. Spikes came out of the top of the head, and also down each side. It was like a face on a sun.

            On a strange whim, Takua groped for his bag, and pulled out his notebook. He scribbled down the symbol quickly then put it away. He looked back up at the Wall of History, taking in as much as he could. When he’d had his fill Takua left, carrying his bag and dusting himself off.

            The symbol practically left his mind the next day, since he’d decided to only focus on kolhii practice. He and Jaller got much better at passing the ball to one another, and Takua felt like they’d become just as fluid as the Ga-Matoran team. Then they moved on to scoring and goal-keeping. Takua tossed the ball around, trying to get it past Jaller and into the goal. Ball after ball got knocked back at him before he finally tossed one that whizzed past Jaller’s head and into the goal behind him.

            “You almost took my head off there,” Jaller commented, laughing.

            “You think we can beat Ga-Koro?”

            “Probably. But we’re also up against Po-Koro too.”

            Takua dropped his kolhii stick. “Are you serious? They practically invented kolhii!”

            “Yeah.”

            “Also, why are we up against two teams? Is that always how tournaments worked?”

            “As long as I can remember,” Jaller said, leaning on his kolhii stick. Takua let out a loud and exasperated sigh.

            “I’m tired. Can we take a break?”

            “Takua, we’ve only been practicing for half an hour.”

            “Yeah well I still think we deserve a break,” Takua kicked a kolhii ball aside and sat on the ground of the practice arena. After a moment Jaller came to sit next to him.

            “Jaller, has there been anyone here before us?”

            “What do you mean?”

            “Here. On Mata Nui. Were there matoran here before us?”

            "How should I know?” Jaller leaned back on his hands, looking up at the sky. Takua drew in the dirt with his finger. Jaller spoke up again. “Also, why do you ask?”

            Takua shrugged, and jumped to his feet. “Okay, let’s practice some more.”

            “You call that a break?” Jaller said.

            Takua grinned, kicking dirt at him, “Come on, get up!”


	18. The Stone

            The night before the big kolhii tournament, Takua couldn’t sleep. He kept thinking about playing against Hahli and Macku, and the Po-Koro team, which consisted of Hewkii and Hafu. Hafu was a well-renowned carver, so Takua didn’t worry as much about him as he did Hewkii. Hewkii was famous all over the island for being the greatest kolhii player to ever live. Not to mention he was just naturally strong and athletic. All that coupled with the fact that he’ll be in a stadium, surrounded by thousands of screaming matoran, created a pressure on him that practically sat on his chest.

            He tossed and turned on his cot for hours, then finally sat up. The sun was just starting to come up. Takua yawned and scratched the back of his head. Impulsively he got up, pulled his boots on, gathered up his bag and ran out of his hut. He started walking to the other end of Ta-Koro, where he normally didn’t go. He crept past quiet huts, whose lights were still out.

            The back end of Ta-Koro had no wall, since the village was built right up against Mangai Volcano. No entity could ever get into the village that way. Takua walked along the slopes of the great volcano, which were so steep nothing could climb them. It wasn’t long before he stumbled on a jagged entrance to a tunnel he’d never explored. A spark of excitement ignited in him, and Takua entered.

            The tunnel spiraled downwards, and Takua couldn’t see how far it went. The tunnel itself also was rather tight; a Toa would have to watch their heads in a space this small. Down and down Takua went, noticing illegible scratches on the walls that he guessed was a primitive form of the matoran language. Finally the tunnel ended, and opened out to a large chamber that was cut down the middle by a river of lava. Stalactites hung from the high ceiling. The waves of heat from the lava made Takua break out in a sweat, even from this distance.

            He strolled casually up to the lava river. It was wide enough to need a raft to cross it, but there were also large steppingstones that created a path to the other side. Takua wiped sweat from his forehead and his gaze fell on a large stone monolith on the other side of the lava river.

            Curiosity drove him forward, compelled him to jump across the steppingstones to get to that monolith. Once on the other side, he walked towards it while flipping through his notes. No, there was no recording of this thing or this area that he may have forgotten about. Takua would have guessed it was completely unexplored territory if not for the scratches on the walls. There were similar scratches on the walls behind the monolith and on the monolith itself.

            Takua squinted at the markings, unable to decipher them. He scribbled them into his notebook in case he’d need them later. He ran his hand on the monolith’s surprisingly smooth surface.

            “Takua!”

            The familiar voice made him jump. Whirling, Takua saw Jaller standing on the other side of the lava river. Pewku was also there, chirping worriedly.

            “What are you doing down here? I had to get Pewku to sniff you out!” Jaller had his hands on his hips, looking very much in his Captain of the Guard mood.

            “I was just—“

            “And we have to be at the kolhii match in ten minutes!”

            “Oh,” Takua smacked himself on the forehead, “Sorry, Jaller! I’ll just be a second!”

            “What’s so interesting over a river of lava that you can’t get back here right now?”

            “This thing!” Takua pointed at the monolith. Even from a distance he could see Jaller roll his eyes.

            “That’s a nice looking rock there. Now let’s go!”

            Takua ignored his friend and turned to face the monolith. There was a square indentation that was surrounded by more scratches. These ones he could make out; they said: light to destroy dark. He reached out to touch the indentation, and as soon as his hand made contact, a yellow flash blinded him for a second. The floor began to shake.

            “Takua, what did you do?!” Jaller cried, stumbling from the tremors. Pewku curled up into a ball, protecting her own head with her large front claws.

            The monolith began to crumble and slowly tilt towards Takua, who leapt to the side, falling to his knees seconds before it toppled and broke into pieces. Takua stood back up and caught a golden light in his eye. In the middle of the rubble from what used to be the monolith was a large golden stone.

            “Jaller, do you see this?” Takua called to his friend. He bent down to pick it up. He held it in his hands, turning it over and over. It was warm, like it had been sitting in a fire for a few minutes.

            “Looks like a Toa stone!” Jaller said.

            In Takua’s examination he found markings on the stone, in the same unfamiliar language.

            “Takua!” Jaller called impatiently.

            “Alright, alright, I’m coming! Hold your rahi!” Takua said. Just then another tremor shook the cavern. It lasted a bit longer than the last one, and much to his dismay the lava river began to rise. He bolted forward, jumping across the steppingstones that would soon be buried. He was about halfway across when he got the sense that he wasn’t going to make it.

            “Think fast!” He yelled, and tossed the stone to Jaller. His friend caught the stone easily.

            “Hurry!” Jaller shouted.

            Takua leapt to the next stone, which was the tallest out of all the steppingstones. All the others had disappeared under the lava. The distance to shore was too far to jump. His gaze slowly rose upriver, where a large wave of lava was rushing towards him. Takua’s heart dropped.

            “J-Jaller!” he cried out. There was nothing else he could do. Suffocating heat threatened to smother him.

            With a sudden swiftness Takua was lifted off his feet, and he found himself clinging to Toa Tahu’s back. A surge of relief came up in his throat. He was now practically flying; Tahu was on what looked like a lavaboard, but upon further observation Takua could see it was made out of Tahu’s two fireswords. Tahu glided on lava the way Gali glided on water or Kopaka on ice.

            “Hardly the time for sight-seeing is it, Chronicler?” Tahu joked. Takua looked behind them, and could see the lava wave still following them. Then he yelped and pointed ahead, where the lava river abruptly ended at the end of a cliff.

            Tahu must have seen it, but he didn’t maneuver to avoid it in any way. Takua squeezed his eyes shut and gripped the fire Toa’s shoulders harder. Soon he felt his heart slide up into his throat, and he knew they were both falling. Just when he thought it was all over, he heard a loud clang of metal against stone and was nearly jolted from Tahu’s back. Takua opened his eyes. Tahu had managed to break their fall by catching his sharp swords in the wall next to them. They hung there for a bit while Tahu caught his breath.

            “Nice view of the falls from here, huh?” Tahu said. Takua chuckled, but suddenly shouted, "Incoming!" pointing upwards. Lava from the wave was falling towards them off the edge of the cliff.

            Tahu summoned his shield to surround them both. The lava flowed harmlessly over them and dropped into the river below. Once it had passed, Tahu’s shield disappeared. Then began the long climb up the wall. Tahu’s swords weren’t meant for climbing, but he made it work. They reached the ledge and made their way back to Jaller.

            When Jaller saw the two approach, his eyes grew wide with relief. He leapt forward and caught Takua in a tight hug.

            “You’re alive! You idiot!” Jaller said. Takua laughed. “You could have died back there!”

            “Could’ve, but I didn’t!” Takua said. Jaller let him go, and looked up at Toa Tahu.

            “Thank you, Toa,” he bowed respectfully. Tahu smiled, but that smile vanished quickly when he saw the stone in Jaller’s hand.

            “What is that?” Tahu asked.

            “Oh, we think it’s a Toa stone or something. Takua—“

            “You should take it to Turaga Vakama. It could be important.”

            Jaller nodded and turned to leave, but Tahu caught his shoulder.

            “Take it to him after you’ve won the kolhii match. Both of you.”

            Takua and Jaller smiled, saying “Yes, Toa Tahu” in unison.

*          *            *

            The two friends sprinted towards the Ta-Koro stadium. Loud music was already being played, and they could already hear matoran cheering enthusiastically within it. Takua and Jaller burst into the players’ room, where they pulled on their kolhii uniforms in a frenzied hurry. Jaller finished getting ready first and grabbed both their kolhii sticks while Takua was still shoving his foot into one of his shoes.

            Takua could hear the announcements for the tournament, and realized they had made it just in time. They were just now introducing the teams as Takua and Jaller ran through the hallway that lead to the kolhii field.

            “—from the shining beaches of Ga-Koro come the challengers, Hahli and Macku!” the announcer said, and was drowned out by the cheers from hundreds of Ga-Matoran. Takua and Jaller finally made it to the end of the hall, where the light of day was shining through. Panting, they both stayed at the hallway’s entrance waiting to be called out by the announcer. Takua could see Hahli and Macku standing by their goalpost waving at the crowd, clad in their blue kolhii uniforms.

            “From the desert of Po-Koro, are longtime reigning kolhii champions Hewkii and Hafu!” All the Po-Matoran erupted in cheers. Takua felt his dread return when he saw Hewkii enter by doing a frontflip. Hafu followed close behind, resting his kolhii stick on his shoulder confidently. Their brown kolhii uniforms sported golden bands around the collars, to signify their championship status. Takua also caught a glimpse of Macku waving to Hewkii, and Hewkii’s grin as he waved back.

            “And last but not least, the home team! From Ta-Koro comes the Captain of the Guard and the Chronicler himself, Jaller and Takua!”

            Takua realized he still had his bag with him, with the gold stone inside. He placed it in the hallway entrance, leaned against the wall. Jaller stepped out onto the field first, and Takua followed. As he stepped out into the stadium, he tripped on the laces of one of his shoes. He stumbled, but caught himself. Feeling his face getting hot, Takua raised his kolhii stick to the crowd, and he heard all the Ta-Matoran begin cheering. He looked all around the stadium, a large ceiling-less dome containing several thousand matoran, all cheering and shouting. Up in the Turaga’s box were Vakama, Nokama, and Onewa. Turaga Vakama stood, raising his firestaff. The audience quieted significantly.

            Vakama spoke through a large shell, which augmented his voice. “Also, as honorable spectators of this honorable sport, I introduce our great protectors! First, the Spirit of Fire: Toa Tahu!”

            Above the Turaga’s box was another special seating area that must have been added after the Toa’s arrival. Tahu stepped out to the balcony, waving to the crowd that erupted once again in cheers.

            “The Spirit of Water: Toa Gali!” After this announcement, Gali stepped up to the balcony as well. She stood by Tahu, and also waved to the crowd. More cheers.

            “And the Spirit of Stone, Toa Pohatu!” Pohatu appeared in between the two. More cheers still.

            Turaga Vakama let the crowd roar for another few minutes before commanding attention again. “The recent peace we all have been experiencing is in no small part due to the deeds of the mighty Toa! We dedicate this game to them, and to the Great Spirit Mata Nui! Further more, I implore you all to play with honor, and with the three virtues in mind!”

            Above the Turaga’s box and the Toa’s seating area, a large banner unfolded to reveal an insignia Takua hadn’t seen in a long time: the three circles encompassed by two curved swooping lines. “Unity! Duty! Destiny!” the crowd recited in unison. Vakama raised the shell one last time. “Let the tournament begin!”

            “That’s your cue,” Jaller said. Takua nodded to him, grabbing his kolhii stick and jogging to the middle of the field. Jaller stayed behind, clutching his stick and goalkeeper’s shield. Takua was met by the other two offensives, Hahli and Hewkii. He felt a twinge of nervousness, but it quickly disappeared when Hahli gave him a friendly smile. Hewkii also smiled and winked at him. It’s just a game, Takua thought to himself, it’s just a game, not life or death.

            “Offense, take your marks!” the announcer said. Takua gripped his stick, muscles tensed. He saw the other two do the same. A hatch opened on the ground between them three, and a kolhii ball launched upwards. “Go!” Takua and Hewkii swung their sticks at the same time, catching the ball between them. With the strike of her kolhii stick, Hahli broke the two apart, knocking the ball away. Barely noticing the shockwave from the blow in his arms and wrists, Takua bolted after the ball right behind Hahli. He could see Hewkii out of the corner of his eye in hot pursuit as well.

            Hahli made a grab for the ball. She caught it in her stick and flung it towards the Po-Koro goal. Hafu blocked it with his goal shield and the ball went sailing over Hahli, Takua, and Hewkii’s heads. They all turned and began running again. Hewkii was about to reach the ball when Takua pole-vaulted himself over the Po-Matoran with his stick. He turned, but was too late. Hewkii scooped up the ball and threw it upwards and hit it with the hammer end of his kolhii stick towards the Ga-Koro goal. Macku blocked it with her shield, sending it towards Hahli, who caught it easily and flung it at the Ta-Koro goal.

            Jaller smashed it away. Takua heard Hahli laugh.

            “Not bad!” she called to Jaller.

            “You’ll get nothing by the Captain of the Guard,” Takua heard his friend say. He smiled to himself.

            “Is that so? I’ll keep that in mind!” Hahli teased.

            Takua ran after Hewkii, who had the ball again. He tossed it in the air a few times, bouncing it off the wall to confuse the goalkeepers. Finally he spun on his heels and launched it towards the Ga-Koro goal. Macku leaped to block it, but the ball sailed past her.

            “Score one for Po-Koro!” the announcer said. The Po-Matoran in the audience whooped and hollered.

            The ball was launched from the center again, and this time Hahli scooped it up before Takua or Hewkii. In the next instant, she threw it hard and it whizzed by Hafu, whose eyes widened in surprise.

            “Score one for Ga-Koro!” The Ga-Matoran all erupted in cheers and applause.

            Takua gritted his teeth, his grip tightening. The ball was released again. He grabbed it, and began running. He ran in zigzags to confuse the others. He tossed the ball, but it was swatted away by Macku by the Ga-Koro goal. He grabbed it again. He faked throwing it into the Ga-Koro goal, but spun and threw it towards the Po-Koro goal. Hafu blocked it, and it rolled towards Hahli, who picked it up. Takua let out a short frustrated breath, and went after her.

            He lost track of time in the frenzy of the game, but eventually they got to the final round. Po-Koro had two goals, and Ga-Koro had two. Ta-Koro only had one. Takua felt some sweat drip into his eyes, and he wiped his forehead furiously. The ball sailed towards him, and he caught it in his stick. In the heat of the moment, he attempted a new trick.

            He’d tried it in practice, but was never able to pull it off. But he decided that it was his last-ditch effort to tie all three teams and give Ta-Koro a better chance at winning. He took a running start, and planted the scoop-end of the kolhii stick into the ground and lifted himself into the air upside down. He let gravity work on his legs to give him leverage, and as he fell, he put all he had into a powerful swing of his stick. The ball rocketed across the stadium, and his along with everyone else’s eyes follow it in fevered anticipation.

            To his dismay, instead of the ball sailing into a goal, it smashed into the back wall of the Turaga’s box, causing all three elders to duck in terror.

            “Wow, what a move! I don’t know if we’ve seen that one before!” the announcer said. Takua knew he didn’t mean anything by it, but the humiliation stung all the same. He breathed hard, feeling a bit lightheaded.

            He returned to the middle, and the ball was launched once again. Hewkii and Hahli battled over it, while Takua stumbled behind them. Finally Hahli batted the ball away from Hewkii and with a swift swing of her kolhii stick, she tossed it into the air, smacked it with the hammer side of her kolhii stick, and it rocketed past Jaller—who barely had time to react—and into the Ta-Koro goal.

            “And Hahli scores the winning goal!” the announcer said, and the Ga-Matoran went absolutely berserk. They began throwing blue confetti all over, dancing and hugging each other. The other two sections of the stadium groaned in disappointment, but gave begrudging applause. Takua sighed, and glanced over at Jaller who looked equal parts stunned and disappointed. He jogged up to Takua’s side, handing him his bag. Takua sighed and slung it over his shoulder.

            All the players met in the middle of the stadium, exchanging friendly handshakes and tapping kolhii sticks, a gesture for good sportsmanship.

            “Great defense, Hafu,” Hahli said, tapping kolhii sticks with him. Hafu nodded respectfully. “Good job over there, Macku,” she continued, hugging her friend. “And good shooting, Hewkii!” she tapped sticks with the other Po-Matoran, who grinned at her.

            “Good shooting yourself, Hahli!” he said, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. Jaller walked up to Hahli.

            “Hey, that wasn’t bad at all,” Jaller said to Hahli, winking at her. They tapped sticks.

            Takua’s face was feeling hot again. He couldn’t meet the other players’ eyes.

            “Hey, Takua,” Hahli appeared next to him, putting a hand gently on his shoulder, “You played really well today. If you practice that move some more, it’ll be amazing, I’m sure of it.”

            “Thanks,” Takua said, taking in a deep breath and letting it out noisily. He mustered up a smile, to appear more confident than he felt.

            Turaga Vakama’s voice echoed throughout the stadium once again. “Congratulations to Ga-Koro! And well played by all!”

            All the players lined up side by side, and bowed to the Turaga and Toa, to wrap up the celebration. When Takua straightened up, a glow appeared in the corner of his eye. The gold stone was on the ground, next to his foot. And it was throwing out a bright yellow light. Jaller met Takua’s eyes. It must have slipped out of my bag, Takua thought.

            Discretely, both Takua and Jaller tried pushing the stone at each other with their feet. Jaller gave it one last kick, and it rolled against Takua’s foot. Light burst forth from the stone, shining directly into Jaller’s eyes.

            The whole stadium seemed to gasp in unison. Takua was unsure what to do, so he picked the stone up and slid it back into his bag. His friend blinked, most likely temporarily blinded by the light from the stone. From the Turaga’s box, Vakama gestured to the both of them, telling them to meet with him and the other Turaga. Jaller and Takua retreated to the player’s room to change out of their uniforms and into their normal clothes, and left for Vakama’s hut.


	19. A New Journey

            As the three elders stood in front of Vakama’s hut, Tahu, Gali, Pohatu, and all the matoran from the three villages looked on. Turaga Nokama held the stone in her hands, and she stared at the markings on its surface. Takua could hear the old woman chanting in another language under her breath.

            “What’s she doing?” Takua nudged Jaller. Jaller hushed him as quietly as he could.

            “Translating,” his friend said.

            After a few silent minutes, Turaga Nokama stepped forward, holding the stone up for the crowd to see.

            “This is the Stone of Light, an artifact thought to be lost for centuries,” she said, and the crowd broke into a chorus of curious whispers. “Until now, of course. This signals a new age for the inhabitants of Mata Nui.”

            “A new age?” Takua breathed. He exchanged a look with Jaller, who shrugged.

            Turaga Nokama lowered the stone, and nodded to Turaga Vakama, who stepped forward to speak.

            “The finding of the Stone of Light only means one thing: that it is time for the emergence of the Seventh Toa,” the old man said, which sparked more whisperings. Takua felt a twinge in his chest, a feeling he couldn’t really describe. His mind raced. A seventh Toa? What for? And why now?

            This time Toa Tahu spoke up. “Well, where will this new Toa show up? And when?”

            Gali backed him up. “What can we do to prepare for their arrival?”

            Turaga Onewa stepped forward. “Legend tells us that the seventh Toa must be found. He will not simply appear as you other Toa have.”

            Tahu, Gali, and Pohatu exchanged looks with each other. The crowd of matoran was getting louder, full of questions and excited ramblings. Turaga Nokama raised the Stone of Light for attention, and the noise died down.

            “The Stone has chosen the one to find it, and that one would also be the Herald: the one to seek the seventh Toa and awaken him,” Nokama said. More excited whispers. Takua felt cold sweat on the back of his neck.

            Takua saw Tahu’s eyes widen, and he spoke up once again. “I believe the Captain of the Guard found it. Near the volcano. Isn’t that right, Jaller?”

            All eyes including Takua’s fell upon Jaller, who seemed to stiffen. His yellow eyes were wide.

            “W-wait, I—“ Jaller choked out.

            Without thinking, Takua grabbed Jaller’s shoulders and shook him playfully. “That’s right, Toa, he did!”

            Jaller’s eyes blazed with incredulity. He shook his head at Takua pleadingly.

           “The stone threw it’s light on Jaller in the stadium,” Pohatu said, “That must be a sign that Jaller’s the Herald, right?”

            As the crowd grew more excited and began chanting Jaller’s name, Jaller’s mouth hung open, unable to make a sound. Takua joined in the chants, feeling a weight on his chest that he ignored. The Turaga gestured for the crowd to quiet down. Jaller nudged Takua in the ribs.

            “What are you doing? You found it, not me!” Jaller hissed through his teeth.

            “Captain of the Guard, approach!” Turaga Vakama commanded. The old man was beaming with pride. Jaller was still stiff as a board. Takua gave him a push from behind, and his friend stumbled forward. Jaller approached the Turaga, not before throwing a glare in Takua’s direction.

            “The Stone of Light has chosen you as the Herald, young one. Will you seek out the Seventh Toa?”

            Jaller looked up at Vakama, and then bowed low. “I will…”

            The crowd began chattering excitedly again. Jaller turned and held his hand out in Takua’s direction.

            “…and Takua the Chronicler has volunteered to join me.”

            Takua felt thousands of eyes fixate on him. He looked at Turaga Vakama’s expectant eyes, and Jaller’s intense ones, sighing internally. He stepped forward next to his friend.

            “I-I’ll go with the Herald, then,” he mumbled. Vakama’s proud smile widened.

            “Then as Jaller makes history, you can record it firsthand. This marks the beginning for a great new chapter for the Wall of History,” Turaga Vakama said.

            “Of course, Turaga,” Takua said, “It’ll be full of Jaller’s heroic deeds!” Jaller groaned, and Takua could tell he was rolling his eyes without even looking at him.

            At the Turaga’s request, the Toa began slowly clearing the area of matoran. The crowd dispersed, and Takua and Jaller were led into Vakama’s hut. The three Turaga stood around the sacred Ta-Koro firepit, ready to give them further instructions.

*          *            *

            Takua returned to his small hut to gather everything he needed in his bag. Guilt from earlier began creeping into the back of his mind, but he pushed it out. He went outside to call Pewku, who came running to him chirping excitedly.

            He met back up with Jaller in front of Vakama’s hut. The elder followed them to the entrance of the village to see them off.

            “Toa Pohatu has offered to spread word of this to the other villages,” the elder was saying, “Everyone must know of this historical development.”

            “Yeah, who would’ve thought? Jaller, the Herald of a Legendary Seventh Toa!” Takua said, casually strolling just ahead of the elder. He stopped to pet Pewku, who was bouncing slightly, as if she was excited to go on an adventure. Takua noticed Jaller trailed far behind Turaga Vakama. His yellow eyes were clouded with worry.

            Suddenly Hahli seemingly came from nowhere, and approached Jaller. Takua noticed she didn’t glance down at the ground as much as she normally did, and she had a more confident stride.

            “Look, Jaller. I don’t have time for a long goodbye,” she said, placing a hand on her hip.

            “I-I just wanted to say,” Jaller started. He cleared his throat, fiddling with his hands, “You owe me a rematch. On the kolhii field.”

            Hahli smiled and giggled. “I guess you’d better hurry back, then. I’ll be practicing.” She turned and walked back into the village. Jaller stared after her for a good long time. Takua stifled a laugh and climbed onto Pewku’s back. His friend snapped back to reality and approached him.

            “You’re bringing Pewku?”

            “Why not? It’ll save us a ton of walking. Plus, how could I leave her behind?” Takua patted Pewku’s back, and she chirped in response.

            Jaller sighed and climbed onto her back as well. The two friends found themselves stuck closer together than they both expected. Jaller nudged Takua to move him over a bit. Takua nudged back, giving an annoyed grunt.

            “Keep in mind,” Turaga Vakama said, bringing them both to attention, “that it may be peacetime, but Makuta’s shadows are still everywhere. And they are powerful. Be sure to not take this journey lightly.”

            Takua coughed nervously. “So, how do we start? Where do we go?”

            “The Stone will be your guide. Use it’s light,” Vakama said.

            Jaller pulled the Stone out of Takua’s bag. As if on cue, it shone a beam of light pointing ahead of them. Jaller stared at the Stone curiously, pointing it his left. The light went out. He pointed it forward again, and the beam returned.

            “Looks like we’re all set, then,” Jaller said.

            “Alright, Pewku, let’s go!” Takua said, and the crab began skittering forward.

            “Be safe, and walk in the light!” Vakama called after them.


	20. Battle for Ta-Koro

            The two friends left the Charred Forest, following the beam of light from the Stone. For hours Pewku walked them to the outskirts of the Le-Wahi jungle. She panted hard, and her steps were slowing, so Takua and Jaller got off her back and let her rest for a bit. They sat beneath a tree, and Takua felt infinitely heavier. He hadn’t gotten any sleep last night, and between that and the rigorous kolhii match coupled with the pressure of their mission weighed his eyelids down. He tried to stay awake, and Jaller seemed to take notice of his struggle.

            “You can sleep, Takua, I’ll keep watch,” he said, sounding a bit drowsy himself.

            Takua smiled, and let his eyelids droop.

            He opened his eyes, and found he was floating above the Kini-Nui temple. Toa Gali was sitting in the center of it, legs crossed and arms resting on her knees. Her eyes were closed.

            Before Takua could ask Gali why she brought him here, on a hill overlooking the temple something began to emerge. Sinewy, clawed hands burst through the earth and three reptilian heads popped out of the hole. Takua watched in horror as three large creatures climbed out. They were much larger than the Borok, or Borok-Kal. A row of spikes erupted from their hunched backs, their eyes glowed red, and they each carried a jagged staff. One threw its head back, and released a shriek that pierced through Takua’s very soul.

            Gali had broken out of her meditation, and jumped to a standing position. She pulled out her twin axes and braced herself.

            _Chronicler?_ He heard her voice in his mind.

            _Yes, Toa Gali, I’m here,_ Takua said, soul growing colder with every moment he stared at those unfamiliar creatures.

            _I wasn’t aware I made the connection with you…but it seems it’s important that you witness this._

_What are those things?_

_I don’t know. But they aren’t allies, I can tell that much._

            One of the creatures swiveled its head in Gali’s direction, and pointed its staff. A bolt of energy flew at Gali, who backflipped out of its way. The ground where she stood a second ago shattered. The three creatures shrieked in unison and leaped into the air. As they fell, they all shifted into a sitting position, and began to fly.

            _Say what you will about the Borok-Kal, but at least they didn’t fly,_ Gali said grimly.

            Takua held his breath, even though he wasn’t really in his body. Gali began to run, and the creatures sailed above her in hot pursuit. The same creature shot at her several times, blasting the ground to pieces. But Gali dodged each attack and kept running. She ran until she reached the nearest source of water, a small river near the Temple.

            Commanding the water, Gali sent burst after burst at the creatures. The creatures corkscrewed and swiveled in the air, narrowly avoiding her water blasts. One of the other creatures raised its staff and sent a ball of energy that whizzed through the air towards the Toa of Water. Just as Gali was about to leap out of the way, the energy ball hit a few feet in front of her, breaking up the ground and sending her flying.

            Gali landed on her side. With a grunt, she pushed herself back up and leapt into the water. She disappeared under the surface, and the creatures flew up and down the river. After a few minutes the creatures gave up and jetted away. Once they were far in the distance, Gali’s head broke the surface of the river.

            _They’re headed for Ta-Koro,_ she said. Takua watched her stir up the water and launch herself forward like a Ga-Matoran speedboat. Gali rocketed through the water all the way up the river, until it ended close to the outskirts of the Charred Forest. She ran the rest of the way to the gates of Ta-Koro. Takua was a tiny bit relieved to see that Gali had beaten the creatures there, but a fresh wave of dread overtook him when he realized that they were still going to arrive any moment. And Ta-Koro would have to be ready to fight.

            Gali leaped the wall, landing next to a Ta-Matoran guard who jumped in surprise.

            “Sound the alarm! Something’s coming!” she said, dashing away. The Ta-Matoran guard saluted her, then picked up a conch shell and blew into it. As he trumpeted, other Ta-Matoran guards joined in, and they closed the gates.

            “That won’t be enough! They can fly!” Gali shouted over the alarm, “Be prepared to fight!”

            The Toa of Water ran towards the village center, nearby Vakama’s hut, and nearly ran headlong into Tahu.

            “Gali, what’s going on?” Tahu demanded, his orange eyes full of concern.

            “There-there’s something coming. It-it’s th-three creatures…” Gali heaved for breath. Tahu put his arm around her.

            “It’s alright. We’ll stop them,” he said.

            “Where’s Pohatu?” Gali asked, recovering from her shortened breath.

            “He left hours ago. Something about spreading the word of the Herald’s quest.”

            Gali sighed, “I guess it’s just you and me, then.” She unsheathed her axes and sprinted towards Vakama’s hut.

            The next few minutes were agonizing. Takua floated above Gali, who stood by Tahu and the three Turaga, vigilantly scanning the skies. The clear blue sky clouded and darkened, though it wasn’t close to sundown. Soon the three hunched figures of the creatures burst onto the scene, brandishing their staffs.

            Turaga Nokama whispered grimly, “Rahkshi.”

            Tahu and Gali glanced at the old woman. “Is that what they’re called?” Gali asked.

            “Yes,” Vakama said, “vile creatures. Made by Makuta himself.”

            Tahu narrowed his eyes. “How do you know that?”

            “Now’s not the time, Tahu,” Gali said, readying her weapons. Tahu grunted in agreement and unsheathed his swords. They rushed forward, The Rahkshi were over the wall now, and had begun to land among the terrified matoran.

            “Everybody scatter! Get away from here as far as you can!” Tahu shouted, and the matoran did as they were told. The Rahkshi all screeched, raising their staffs together. Two of them released blasts of energy that struck the ground and parts of the Ta-Koro walls, blasting and crumbling them to bits. Gali swung her axes upwards, sending a small deluge after one of them. Tahu blasted fire at the other. Neither Toa hit their targets. The three creatures bolted in opposite directions, crawling up walls of huts and shattering anything in their wake. One Rahkshi left sickly greenish footprints behind that ate away at the stony ground like acid.

            Tahu managed to corner this particular Rahkshi, and jammed the blades of his swords into the ground. Cracks splintered the ground beneath the creature’s feet, and lava began oozing upwards. The creature screeched in distress as lava started burning its feet. It began creeping backwards, but hit a wall.

            “What’re you gonna do now, you bastard?” Tahu taunted, gripping his swords. The creature darted towards him and their weapons collided with a loud metallic clang. As they pushed against each other’s weapons, Tahu shot a bolt of fire from his swords that hit the Rahkshi in the face. The creature howled in surprise and stumbled backwards. Tahu leaped away. Gali appeared by his side.

            “Tahu, we need to get the matoran to safety,” Gali said hurriedly.

            “Of course, as soon as I’m done with this thing—“

            “—Right now, Tahu. We’re not going to win this battle.”

            Tahu glared at Gali. “We can and we will.”

            Gali glared right back. “Look around, Tahu! They’re destroying the village!”

            Tahu scanned the area, taking notice of the smashed huts, injured matoran, and general panic and mayhem. The three Rahkshi were scuttling about, overturning the rubble over and over again. The Toa of Fire sighed.

            “Fine. We’ll retreat.”

            Gali left his side. Takua spotted Hahli backed up against a sheer wall of debris by a rahkshi. It snarled at her, raising its staff.

            _Toa Gali, to your left!_ Takua called.

            Gali looked in that direction, and with a blast of water from her axes she launched into the air and swooped down, grabbing Hahli and rocketing her to safety. The pile of debris exploded from the rahkshi’s blow behind them. Gali landed, placing Hahli gently on her feet.

            “Open the gates, let everyone out!” Gali said to her, turning her attention back to the rahkshi.

            “Yes, Toa Gali!” Hahli said, running towards the village entrance. She threw the large lever, and the doors began to creak open. Matoran began spilling out of Ta-Koro, stumbling, coughing, and leaning on each other for support.

            Gali leaped over the rahkshi that attacked Hahli and blasted it with water over and over again. The creature was knocked back a step, but it stayed standing. It darted forward, and their weapons collided. It pushed against her, and she pushed back. The creature pushed harder still, then thrust its staff away from her. Gali’s axes had caught on the shaft, and she was thrown off to the side. Her weapons clattered onto the ground and skidded away. She hit her head when she landed, and sat up dazed. Blood trickled down from her silver hairline.

            The rahkshi snarled at her and began stalking away, shifting through more of the rubble. Gali scrambled for her axes. Soon Tahu passed by her line of vision, tangling with the poisonous rahkshi from before. He was having great difficulty landing a blow on the creature, and it dodged all his fireballs.

            Gali grabbed the handle of one of her axes and from her position on the ground she tossed it. It whistled past the rahkshi’s head, and it turned to shriek at her. Tahu took advantage of its momentary distraction and thrust his sword at its scaly armor. His blade didn’t go very deep, however. In a rage, the creature roared, and swung its staff at Tahu’s face, knocking him sideways. The fire Toa collapsed onto the ground, clutching the side of his face with one hand.

            Gali had managed to grab her other axe and toss it at the creature again. It collided with the side of its head, causing it to roar but without leaving a scratch on it. It came after her, but Gali dove under its legs, sliding far enough to land her right next to her discarded weapons. She grabbed them and blasted the creature with a small tidal wave. As it washed away, shrieking, Gali knelt by Tahu’s side. He was doubled over in pain.

            “Tahu, are you okay?”

            Tahu sat up, lowering his hand. On his cheek was a nasty looking gash that glowed slightly green. Blood ran down his face and neck. “It’s nothing,” he grunted, pushing himself to stand. The creatures seemed to have lost all interest in fighting the Toa. Takua saw them shuffle through some more rubble, shriek at each other, and launch back into the air. They sailed off into the distance.

            Takua surveyed his surroundings. Ta-Koro was utterly decimated. Hardly a hut was left standing. Cracks had opened up all over the ground, and more lava began seeping to the surface. One corner of the wall had already collapsed and sunk into it. Matoran were still evacuating, followed closely by the Turaga. Tahu helped a Po-Matoran that had gotten his legs trapped under rubble, and Gali scanned the area for any more survivors. Once they’d done a thorough sweep, the Toa ran to join the evacuation.

            Once everyone still alive had made it out to the Charred Forest, Tahu and Gali stayed behind to overlook the destroyed Ta-Koro. More of the village had sunk into the lava. Turaga Vakama approached them quietly from behind.

            “They could’ve destroyed us. But why didn’t they?” Tahu said to Gali. His orange eyes blazed with fury.

            “They are seekers. Whatever they came for, they didn’t find,” Vakama interjected.

            “What did they come for?” Gali asked, but as soon as the last syllable came out her blue eyes widened, “The Stone of Light!”

            “Precisely,” Turaga Vakama said, “Makuta fears for his spell of shadows.”

            “If they’re after the Stone,” Tahu said, “then they’ll be after Jaller and Takua also!”

            “We’ll summon the Toa to find them,” Gali said, sliding her axes into their sheaths at her belt.

            “I can do it myself,” Tahu said, “We don’t need to bother the others.”

            Gali clenched her fists. “Tahu, no! We need to work together on this! Have you seriously learned nothing from our previous battles?”

            Tahu took one last look at the half-sunken village, then turned to his fellow Toa.

            “If you insist, we’ll do it your way,” he snarled. The gash in his face had stopped bleeding, but the skin around it had begun to darken into a grey color. Turaga Vakama began to walk away, most likely to tend to the scared and injured matoran.

            Gali reached towards Tahu’s face, gasping in concern. “Tahu, your face!”

            Tahu swatted her hand away. “It’s just a scratch, Gali! Meanwhile my village has been destroyed and our powers could do nothing to stop it!”

            “I understand that it’s a great loss,” Gali said, “But you should be just as concerned for your own life!”

            Tahu said nothing and began to walk away from her. Just then Takua’s connection with Gali faded, and he woke up underneath the tree he had fallen asleep under. Pewku was vigilantly standing guard, snapping her claws impatiently. Takua noticed his breath had quickened as if he’d just run a great distance. He glanced over at Jaller next to him, who was sound asleep and still gripping the Stone. Quickly Takua pulled his notebook out of his bag and scribbled down all the things he’d just witnessed. When he finished, he leaned his back against the tree.

            Dread sat in his chest like a cold stone. Even without a strong love for Ta-Koro, he still felt the loss. Even though he hadn’t enjoyed spending lots of time there, Takua had felt that it was still a home to return to after a long journey. He looked at Jaller again. On the other hand, he thought, Jaller would be devastated if he knew about Ta-Koro’s destruction. His friend loved living and working under the sweltering heat of the volcano.

            Takua’s heart clenched. He couldn’t tell Jaller about this. Not yet, anyway. Right now he should be focused on finding the Seventh Toa. He shoved his notebook back in his bag. He nudged Jaller awake. His friend stirred, rubbing his eyes. His yellow eyes lifted to the sky.

            “Why’s it so dark out?” he asked blearily.

            “Dunno,” Takua said, feeling the heat of shame washing over him.

            Jaller grunted, stretching out his back and blinking sleep from his eyes. He stood, clenching the Stone in his fist. He held it up, and the beam of light shone forward. “Let’s get going,” Jaller said, mounting Pewku without hesitation. Takua joined him, clutching his bag to his chest.


	21. Through the Jungle

            Pewku carried them deeper into the Le-Wahi jungle as Jaller directed her based on where the beam from the Stone was pointing. Takua stared up at the sky. It was clear and pale blue, so he guessed the shadows hadn’t reached this part of the jungle. He wondered if the rahkshi knew to look for them here. He clutched his bag tighter.

            “Hey, there’s the sun. It’s beautiful out,” Jaller said casually. Takua loosened his grip, taking a silent deep breath.

            “I guess so. It’s a bit hot,” Takua said.

            “Hey, you have no right to complain. You should be the one leading, after all.” There was no anger in his voice, but Takua knew Jaller was still upset with him.

            “Nah, you’re way more qualified for that,” Takua laughed nervously.

            “Look, Takua,” Jaller said in a more serious tone, “I know you’re scared.”

            “What’re you talking about?”

            “It’s a big job. And the fact that a Seventh Toa needs to be found means something bad’s coming our way, right? Something much worse than the Borok-Kal.”

            Takua swallowed hard.

            “But like I’ve said before one of these days you need to accept and face your duty to Mata Nui,” Jaller said.

            “I have. I’m the Chronicler, remember?” Takua said, patting his bag, “I observe and record history. That’s my duty.”

            “But we all have a greater destiny, you know.”

            “You know me: always different,” Takua grinned nonchalantly. Jaller rolled his eyes.

            Something shifted in the nearby bushes. Pewku jumped and skittered in a circle, claws at the ready. Takua gripped the edge of her shell, and Jaller pulled out his guard staff and held it at the ready with one hand while gripping the Stone with the other. The bushes rustled again, and a guttural growl reached Takua’s ears.

            “Come out!” Jaller said boldly. He dismounted Pewku and pointed his staff at the bushes. Takua slung his bag over his shoulder and searched for anything to use as a weapon. Just then an ash bear jumped out of the foliage and bounded towards Jaller. He ducked under the rahi’s legs as it pounced. Takua gripped Pewku’s back. His pet hissed at the ash bear, snapping her claws.

            “Go, Pewku!” Takua cried, and his crab skittered forward, swinging and snapping at the rahi. The ash bear swung its paw at them and Pewku hopped backwards, narrowly missing it. They were backed up against a tree, and the ash bear stood up on its hind legs, letting out a roar.

            A branch snapped above him, and Takua craned his neck to see. Much to his surprise, Jaller had climbed up the thick trunk, and was carefully scooting along a branch. His friend positioned himself directly over the ash bear, and shakily stood, arms out to the sides to keep balance.

            Takua’s back hit the tree, and the ash bear was inches from his face. Pewku squeaked, claws still snapping. Jaller landed solidly on the bear’s back, causing it to rear up again and let out another angry roar. Jaller was gripping it around the neck as the rahi danced in a circle trying to buck him off.

            Out of nowhere a light breeze blew past them, and a couple of jungle vines shot from the trees and wrapped themselves around the ash bear’s legs. The rahi was hoisted up into the air, and Jaller tumbled off its back. From the high overhanging branches, Toa Lewa appeared, swinging down on another vine. He landed lightly, supported by a wind current.

            “Toa Lewa! Thank Mata Nui!” Takua said as Pewku stepped away from the tree the bear had trapped them against. Jaller groaned and sat up, rubbing his shoulder.

            “Now where did you learn to bear-fight, Ta-Koro Captain?” Lewa said to Jaller.

            “Right here, just now,” Jaller said, and Lewa helped him stand.

            “Seems you’re a natural!” Lewa laughed. Jaller cracked a smile, retrieving his guard staff that he’d dropped in the scuffle. Lewa’s green eyes shifted to Takua.

            “Pohatu had just come through here. He says you two are on a journey,” Lewa said.

            “Yeah, we’re looking for the Seventh Toa,” Jaller said, holding the Stone up for the Toa of Air to see. Lewa crouched down to Jaller’s level, staring intently at the glowing artifact.

            “A Seventh Toa…” Lewa said thoughtfully, “Turaga Matau never mentioned such a thing.”

            “Yeah, it’s the first we’ve heard of it too,” Takua said.

            “Well, if you need the Toa of Air’s help, I’m here to give it!” Lewa released the vines from the groaning ash bear, which landed on the ground, bounded away and disappeared into the foliage.

            “Well, let’s see,” Jaller said, turning around in a circle and staring at the Stone. It shone a beam towards a sheer cliff, one that spanned miles and led up to the slopes of Mount Ihu. “Looks like we need to go this way. And it’s a climb, that’s for sure.”

            Lewa gave a hearty laugh. “With me, there’s no need for high-climbing!” He placed two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. From the distance came a cry Takua had heard before. A large Gukko bird descended through the jungle canopy and landed in front of the two matoran.

            “Ever wind-fly on a Gukko bird?” Lewa said.

            “Once, but Kongu did most of the work,” Takua said. Pewku nudged her head into his hand and he gave her a gentle pat.

            “Well here’s to quick-learning!” Lewa said and lifted Takua and Jaller with a sudden gust of wind from beneath them. They both landed on the Gukko’s back, and the bird began flapping its wings. Takua wrapped his arms around the bird’s neck, and Jaller gripped Takua’s shoulders.

            “Follow me!” Lewa said. He ran forward, unsheathing his twin katana swords and launching himself into the air with a blast of wind. He soared upwards towards the cliff, and the Gukko followed suit in a flurry of feathery wings. Takua felt his stomach drop as the bird climbed higher and higher. Jaller’s hands were getting tighter around his shoulders, and he winced.

            Wind blew into his eyes, blurring them with tears. Takua tried to keep an eye on Lewa, who only appeared as a green blob in the distance. He saw the Toa of Air turn slightly, and he tugged the Gukko in the same direction. They climbed higher still, and Takua felt the air get thinner and colder. His eyes stung due to the drop in temperature, and he aggressively rubbed them with one arm while gripping the Gukko bird with his other hand. Unfortunately in doing so Takua had veered them off to the side, and the Gukko’s wing hit the branch of a snow-covered tree. He, the bird, and Jaller all tumbled over one another in midair before crash-landing into a snowdrift.

            Takua felt dazed but otherwise uninjured. He stood up, sinking up to his ankles in snow. He began brushing himself off, feeling his fingertips going numb. A few yards away Toa Lewa had landed on his feet in the snow, and slid his swords back into their sheaths on his back. Jaller had landed right next to Takua, and was stuck under some snow but otherwise unharmed. Everyone made it. A thought struck Takua, and he ran to the edge of the cliff, looking out into the jungle they left behind.

            “We left Pewku behind!” he cried, scanning the green canopy for any sign of his pet.

            Jaller, still partially buried in snow, sat up and rubbed his temples.

            “Jaller, Pewku’s still in the jungle! We need to go get her!”

            “Hold on, do you two hear that?” Lewa said. The Air Toa was gazing over the cliff as well, a hand to his ear.

            Takua strained to listen for whatever Lewa was talking about, and finally a steady rhythmic beat reached his ears.

            “The drums of Le-Koro,” Lewa said, voice suddenly much more somber. The three of them listened for a while. Takua wasn’t sure what the rhythm meant, but he saw Lewa’s cheerful eyes begin to cloud with worry. The Air Toa’s face fell. He looked over at Jaller and then glanced at Takua.

            “Ta-Koro has fallen,” he said. In spite of the cold climate Takua felt his blood freeze. His gaze shifted to Jaller, whose eyes shone with worry. He slowly rose to his feet, the Stone hanging limply at his side.

            “Ta-Koro…” Jaller croaked, shivering.

            “It was destroyed by…Rahkski,” Lewa said, “The ‘sons’ of Makuta.”

            “I…” Jaller’s knees seemed to buckle. Takua dashed to his side and caught him. “I should have been there,” his friend said. Takua felt a horrible tearing in his chest. Why did Jaller need to find out this way?

            Jaller gently pushed Takua away. He faced Lewa, whose face reflected Takua’s own concern and worry.

            “I need to go back,” Jaller said, meeting Lewa’s eyes with a steely determination. Lewa shook his head sadly.

            “I’m sorry, young Captain, but it’s too late. You need to carry on with your mission.”

            Jaller shoved the Stone into Takua’s hands. “Takua will continue in my place!”

            “No way!” Takua protested, pushing it back, “You accepted this duty!”

            “I accepted _your_ duty!” Jaller retorted, pushing the Stone at him again.

            “Stop this!” Lewa said, and the two stepped away from each other. “There’s no need to argue at a time like this! We all have a duty to fulfill!” Jaller’s eyes fell to the Stone, and he turned it over in his hands.

            “I need to go regroup with my Toa sister and brothers,” Lewa said, “And in the meantime,” he stepped forward and placed a hand on Jaller’s shoulder, “I’ll go to your village, Jaller. Heart-promise.”

            Jaller sighed, meeting the Air Toa’s sincere gaze. “I can’t thank you enough, Toa.”

            With a nod, Lewa backed up and withdrew his swords. He ran off the edge of the cliff and with a strong air current he soared off into the distance in a matter of seconds.

            Jaller pointed the Stone, reorienting himself, and began walking again. Takua trailed close behind.


	22. Over the Icy Slopes

            Hours passed. Takua and Jaller trudged through the deep snow of Mount Ihu, getting slower with each step. The blue sky was gone, covered in a thick white blanket of clouds. A chilling wind blew through them both and snowflakes began to fall. Soon everything around them was white, and the wind only got stronger. Takua shivered violently, unable to shake off the sheer cold that sank deep into his bones. He saw Jaller just up ahead, also shivering.

            Through the white flurries, Takua saw a large stone sculpture, one that he’d seen several times in the past few hours. He strained to raise his voice over the howling wintry wind.

            “Does that look familiar to you?” he called out to Jaller.

            Jaller stopped short, still shivering. His grip tightened on the Stone. “We’re going in circles,” he grumbled.

            “Aren’t you following the light or whatever?”

            Jaller whirled. His yellow eyes fixed hard on Takua. “You know, maybe our path would be straighter if the real Herald had the Stone.”

            “The real Herald has the Stone already!”

            Jaller clenched his jaw. He held up the stone and squinted through the snow at the beam of light shining from it. Takua felt another nasty shiver travel down his spine.

            “Okay, it might be this way!” Jaller yelled over the wind. Takua raced to catch up with him, but his feet slogged through a particularly deep snowdrift. In the next few moments, everything around him became purely white. He couldn’t see his friend in front of him anymore.

            “Jaller? Jaller!”

            “I’m right here! Where are you?”

            “Um, here?!”

            Another strong wind rushed by, clearing the flurry for a bit. Takua caught a glimpse of Jaller and stumbled towards him. Another figure crossed his peripheral vision. It was mostly white, so it blended with the surroundings. A silver glint caught his eye, and Takua saw Kopaka’s long bladed weapon.

            In a matter of seconds, the wind and snow cleared. Toa Kopaka stood before Takua and Jaller, gazing at them with his icy blue eye.

            “Toa of Ice!” Jaller exclaimed, bowing respectfully, “How did you find us?”

            “You were following me,” Kopaka said.

            “We were?” Takua said, exchanging a confused look with Jaller. Kopaka promptly turned and began to walk away from them.

            “Hey, wait!” Takua called after the Ice Toa, “We didn’t mean to, we swear!”

            Kopaka said nothing and kept walking. Jaller and Takua stumbled after him, snow crunching underneath their feet.

            “We’re on a mission, see,” Jaller said, “Have you gotten wind of it?”

            “No,” Kopaka said, still unaffected by their presence.

            “Well, we’re supposed to seek out a Seventh Toa. Takua found this Stone in a cave under Ta-Koro—“

            “—Hold on,” Kopaka said, raising his weapon. His cybernetic eye clicked and whirred, scanning the area. Everything seemed quiet at the moment, but one look at the Ice Toa’s tensed muscles made Takua uneasy. The only thing he could think of was _rahkshi_.

            A blast of energy hit a few feet away from them, right on cue. Kopaka stood vigilant, gripping his blade and his shield. For a moment Takua thought that he looked like he was actually made of ice. Another bolt of energy sailed towards them, and Kopaka bounced it off his shield. It hit the ground harmlessly.

            Over the icy horizon rose the three Rahkshi, and as they flew they brought a shadowy canopy over the sky in their wake.

            “Any idea what these are?” Kopaka asked, bracing himself for another attack.

            “Th-they must be the Rahkshi,” Takua shivered again, from more than just the cold.

            “No idea what that means,” Kopaka said, dropping his shield on the ground, “go on, get out of here!”

            “Where? How—“ Jaller began to ask, but Takua pushed him onto Kopaka’s shield. It began to slide forward like a sled, and Takua jumped on behind his friend. They sailed down a sheer slope.

            “Those were Rahkshi?” Jaller shouted backwards to Takua as they picked up speed and wind began buffeting them.

            “That’s what I’m guessing!” Takua shouted back. He gulped hard as the slope got steeper and wind began actually screaming past his ears. Everything was a white blur. Takua gripped Jaller’s shoulders.

            Soon Toa Kopaka was skating next to them, using the two halves of his bladed weapon as skis. He glanced behind him every so often, occasionally shooting ice spikes from his hand at the pursuing rahkshi.

            Takua was so distracted watching Kopaka fight that it was only when Jaller cried out that he noticed they were close to hitting a large rock jutting from underneath the snow. With a flick of Kopaka’s wrist, an ice path erupted from the snow and curved around the obstacle. Takua and Jaller’s makeshift sled slid gracefully along its surface, avoiding the rock entirely.

            They picked up speed again. Energy blast after energy blast exploded patches of snow and rock around them. Takua could practically feel the Rahkshi above them, ready to swoop down at any moment. Kopaka fired more ice at them, and one of them shrieked. Takua felt something land hard behind them, knocking all three of them into the air. The slope leveled out just ahead, and the Toa and two matoran tumbled into the snow, bringing their momentum to a halt.

            Kopaka recovered quickly, retrieving his weapons and shield. He reattached the two halves together, and held his blade up at the ready. The Rahkshi were nearly upon them. Kopaka glanced upwards, and shot a large ice spike into a nearby rock formation. It began to crumble and collapse, right on top of the creatures.

            The debris also fell towards them, so Kopaka swiftly attached his weapon to his back, scooped up Jaller and Takua by their collars, and whisked them away from the area by gliding on patches of ice underneath his boots.

            Kopaka carried them for a while and finally set them down near the banks of a half-frozen lake. Takua and Jaller stooped over to catch their breaths, but Kopaka was unfazed. His gaze was fixed on the place they left the rahkshi behind. His cybernetic eye clicked.

            “So tell me,” Kopaka spoke up suddenly, calling Takua and Jaller’s attention, “What is this about a stone and a Seventh Toa?”

            Takua quickly explained the situation to him, leaving out some particular details. Kopaka nodded and didn’t interrupt him with questions. When Takua finished the story, the Toa of Ice’s head jerked upwards.

            “They’re back,” he hissed, holding up his weapons once again.

            “What does it take to get rid of these things?” Jaller asked. An idea struck Takua, and he grabbed the Stone from Jaller’s hand. “Hey, what gives?” his friend snapped, but Takua ran with it. He scampered halfway across the partially frozen lake, waving the Stone in the air above his head.

            “Over here, you ugly freaks!” Takua shouted wildly. The Rahkshi took notice of him, and began sailing in his direction.

            “Takua, what the hell are you doing?!” Jaller screamed as the creatures got closer.

            Soon they were directly above his head. Takua clutched the Stone close to his chest and squeezed his eyes shut. He thought he heard one of the Rahkshi charge up a bolt of energy, but it was cut off by a loud cracking sound. Takua’s eyes flew open and saw the three Rahkshi, spikes of ice stuck in their armor, suspended in midair for a second before dropping into the icy water of the lake. Kopaka stood at the edge of the lake, and spun his weapon around the handle.

            “Let’s see you get out of this one,” he said, jamming his blade into the ground. The lake began to completely freeze over. One of the Rahkshi’s clawed hands burst from the surface of the water, grabbing for Takua who yelped and dove out of the way just as the hand was encased by a layer of ice.

            Takua got up onto his hands and knees on the ice. He peered into the frozen lake, just barely making out the distorted forms of the three Rahkshi trapped in its depths. He glanced back up at the frozen Rahkshi arm, breath catching in his throat. Kopaka appeared at his side, offering his hand to him. Takua took it and the Toa of Ice hoisted him to his feet.

            “Can’t decide if you’re brave or just crazy,” Kopaka said. Takua was unsure how to respond until he received a friendly pat on the head. He caught a glimpse of one of the Ice Toa’s rare smiles.

            “Either way,” Kopaka said, “Nice job back there.”

            “Thank you, Toa,” Takua said. Jaller ran up to the both of them. Takua held the Stone out to him, and Jaller took it willingly with a small smile on his face.

            Takua heard what sounded like the skittering of claws on the ice, and whirled in its direction. From the other side of the frozen lake, he could see the form of his beloved pet Ussal bounding in their direction.

            With a surge of joy, Takua sprang forward. “Pewku!” he cried. He collided with her head-on, and she began playfully licking his face. “Wow, she must’ve come all the way through the jungle!” he laughed, gently pushing her off him.

            “Hey, maybe Pewku should be the Herald,” Jaller joked, “Right, Toa Kopak—“

            The Toa of Ice wasn’t anywhere to be found. Jaller’s face fell. “He just left us here.”

            “He probably needs to check up on Ko-Koro,” Takua suggested. Jaller sighed. He held up the Stone, and got the guiding beam of light to show up again. It pointed further down the mountain, towards a trail Takua recognized as being one of many that led to Onu-Koro. Wordlessly the two friends set off for the next part of their journey.


	23. Into the Tunnels

            They reached a cave entrance hours later without much incident. The cave itself looked dusty, like it hadn’t been used for a long time. Takua brushed dirt from the carving on the wall of the entrance.

            “Onu-Koro Highway,” Takua read off the old, cracked writing. He stared into the depths of the tunnel, feeling a familiar anxiety. He remembered the Toa’s first fight with Makuta deep underneath the island and the time he witnessed the Borok swarms’ awakening. Takua let out a frustrated breath.

            Jaller strolled ahead casually, holding up the Stone. “At least we don’t need a lightstone. This thing’s pretty handy,” his friend commented. The Stone blazed a warm golden path of light for them. After a moment’s hesitation Takua followed him. Pewku skittered up ahead of Jaller, chirping excitedly.

            As they walked through the dark tunnel, Takua saw some matoran writing on the walls, in the same ancient dialect he couldn’t read. The characters looked like they were written in glowing ink of some sort. Or maybe there was a glowing source behind the wall and the characters were simply carved out of the wall? Takua stared at them for a long time.

            He wandered deeper down another tunnel, and found some odd glowing plants. They looked like luminescent seaweed to him. Curious, he plucked a few stalks and held them up to his head, giving himself long antennae. Takua laughed.

            “Hey Jaller!” he called, and then it dawned on him that the yellow glow of the Stone was gone. The only light in the tunnel was the faint blue glow of the plant and the writing on the wall. Takua’s heart sank.

            “Jaller? Pewku? W-where did you guys go?” he said, feeling a cold sweat break on the back of his neck. Of all the times to wander off, he thought angrily to himself. Using the plants he picked as weak substitutes for lightstones, he made his way along the wall, hoping to eventually run into an exit or, even better, his friend and pet.

            A chilling breeze whispered past his ears and gave him goosebumps. Takua felt his feet quicken. “Jaller? Jaller!” he called, tripping on a rock and landing on his hands and knees. He dropped his glowing plant stalks. He was about to stand himself back up when something began echoing through the tunnel.

            “Takua…” a voice hissed. Takua felt his heart quicken. The voice was unearthly, deep, and cold. He’d only heard that voice once before, but he immediately knew whom it belonged to.

            “Takua…” the voice said again, beckoningly. Takua was rooted to the stony ground, all muscles locked in place. His spine tingled.

            “You know who I am?” the voice asked.

            Takua didn’t answer. His throat was dry, and he couldn’t find the strength to force words from his mouth.

            “Lost your tongue, have you?” the voice said mockingly, “I’ll spell it out for you. Where shadows are, there I am as well.”

            Takua opened his mouth, his voice weak in comparison, “I know who you are. I-I’m not afraid…”

            “Not even my shadows can hide your fear,” the voice whispered, “Or the truth.”

            “What truth?” Takua said, slowly standing up and backing up against a wall. He scanned his surroundings, and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw a pair of large red eyes in the shadows up ahead. He held his breath, desperately trying to will his body to stop trembling.

            “The truth that you will not find the Seventh Toa,” the voice said plainly.

            “If I won’t, maybe Jaller will,” Takua said, clenching his shaking hands into fists.

            “I’m afraid your friend won’t find the Seventh Toa either. His fate is a tragic one to say the least.”

            “What are you talking about? What’s going to happen to Jaller?”

            “Your friend will die,” as the voice said this, Takua’s blood iced over, “and it will be because of you.”

            Takua lost the ability to speak again. His mind raced.

            “If you want to save him,” the voice continued, and Takua could sense a dark smile in that voice, “You will bring me the Stone.”

            Takua shook his head wordlessly.

            “Bring me the Stone, and you won’t lose your dear friend,” the voice repeated firmly.

            Takua found his voice again. “No, I can’t. I…I won’t let everyone down.”

            “You’ll fail them more if you refuse. I’ll spare your friend and your villages if you do as I say.”

            Takua stared at the pair of red eyes, breath coming out short.

            “Don’t be a fool,” and with that, the red eyes faded and the voice disappeared.

            “No, I can’t!” Takua shouted into the darkness. But he was met with cold silence.

            He shakily walked around the tunnel, aimless and confused. He feared for himself, for his friend, and for the island of Mata Nui. He suddenly felt the vastness of his world, and how small he really was in comparison. Takua took deep breaths, trying to lower his heart rate, but it just wasn’t working. His fingers were twitching, and his knees felt weak.

            “Takua!” Jaller’s voice made Takua jump backwards, and he hit his elbow on a low-hanging stalactite. He groaned, clutching his arm.

            “Woah, you okay?” Jaller said.

            “J-just a bruise, no big deal,” Takua said shakily.

            “Not that,” Jaller said, his yellow eyes full of concern, “you look pale.”

            “I’m fine, really,” Takua said, coughing loudly.

            “Well, the Stone’s pointing this way,” Jaller gestured behind him with his thumb. He turned and walked in the other direction, with the Stone lighting the way.

            “Um, Jaller?” Takua said. His friend stopped and turned back. “A-about the Stone…”

            “What about it?”

            “I can’t—I can’t go with you,” Takua said quickly, dropping his gaze to the stone tunnel floor.

            “What? What do you mean?” Takua could hear the betrayal in Jaller’s voice, and a small sharp pain pricked in his chest.

            “I can’t explain…”

            Jaller sighed in frustration. “That’s just great. First you stick me with your duty, then you ditch me?”

            “I’m sorry but I quit,” Takua said, turning to face the opposite direction of his friend. He didn’t want to see the look on Jaller’s face.

            “You can’t be serious. This isn’t funny, Takua…” Jaller’s voice wavered a bit at the end, and another pain pricked Takua’s chest.

            “Just go,” Takua said in a near whisper. Pewku skittered up to his side, chirping sadly. He mounted her and they left the tunnel.

            From behind him, Takua heard Jaller’s voice grow defiant as it faded into the distance. “Fine, leave me behind! I can find the Seventh Toa on my own, whether or not you’re the real Herald!”

            Takua’s chest felt hollow, and was close to tears. I’m such an idiot, he thought.

*          *            *

            Takua hadn’t told Pewku to go anywhere in particular, so she began skittering through the more-often used tunnels towards Onu-Koro. Takua barely gave her praise or petted her the entire time, and the Ussal crab seemed in lower spirits because of it. But Takua wasn’t in the mood for affection. He just wanted nothing more but to curl up into a ball, fall asleep, and never wake up.

            Pewku approached the entrance to the massive, cavernous village of Onu-Koro. The two Onu-Matoran guards, recognizing Takua, let them through without question. Takua looked at the floor the whole time. He couldn’t even muster up a respectful smile for the guards.

            Still fixated on the stony floor, Takua heard a commotion up ahead. It sounded like a crowd of matoran, whispering excitedly to each other. Then above that was the clear, enthusiastic voice of Toa Pohatu.

            “Matoran of Onu-Koro!” he announced, “The Stone of Light has been found!”

            The matoran all gasped in wonder.

            “It’s an ancient artifact signaling the coming of the Seventh Toa!”

            The collective matoran gasped again, cheering and chattering excitedly.

            “The Ta-Matoran Captain of the Guard Jaller and Takua the Chronicler are seeking out this mysterious being even now, as we speak!” Pohatu proclaimed, but the final syllable of his statement trailed off. Takua looked up, and hundreds of green Onu-matoran eyes were fixed on him. Pohatu’s brown eyes were wide with confusion. Toa Onua stood next to him, looking equally confused.

            “Chronicler, where is the Herald?” Pohatu asked. Takua sighed heavily and dismounted Pewku. He gave her a pat on the head, and looked up at the two Toa.

            “We got… separated,” Takua said, gazing dropping to the ground again, “after we met the rahkshi.”

            Onua spoke up this time, green eyes narrowed, “What is this ‘rahkshi’?”

            As if to answer the Earth Toa’s question, the ground began to shake. The crowd of matoran erupted in panicked screams. Toa Pohatu and Toa Onua readied their weapons. From one of the far walls of the underground village, three monsters burst out, blasting rock and debris in all directions.

            Takua’s gasp caught in his throat. They were rahkshi, but Kopaka had frozen them, so how? On closer examination, Takua realized they had different colored armor and different shaped staffs.

            “Th-those,” he cried, pointing, “Except they were different ones!”

            “Just those shouldn’t be a problem!” Pohatu declared. Takua could hear the smile in his voice, and panic seized his whole body.

            Before Takua could warn him of the rahkshi’s terrifying strength, the Toa of Stone had already used his incredible speed to run up to the creatures and catch his weapon on theirs. Pohatu and one of the rahkshi pushed at each other, until the rahkshi managed to throw him off to the side. Pohatu landed on his feet and skidded a little.

            “Woah, you guys are strong!” Pohatu laughed. He pointed his weapons outwards, levitating loose stones from the ground and spinning them in a circle around him.

            Off to the side, Onua stepped towards the rahkshi, bringing his foot down hard and opening a crack in the stony floor that traveled towards the three intruders. As the ground began to crumble underneath them, the rahkshi shrieked and jumped out of the way in different directions. Pohatu slung rocks at them, while Onua began calling large slabs of earth from the floor upwards. He hit one rahkshi from below, knocking it into the air. The creature landed hard on the floor in a heap.

            Pohatu managed to sling a few larger rocks at the other two rahkshi, causing them to stumble. One of them shrieked at him and began sprinting towards him. As that rahkshi tangled weapons with Pohatu, the other two went after Onua. The Earth Toa readied his two drill weapons, crossing them in front of him, his biceps tensed.

            Takua felt a few matoran push past him in a hurried panic. The Onu-Matoran were scattering like frightened rahi. Takua looked from them back up to the two Toa, battling against those three monsters. Cracks were appearing on the walls and ceiling, and many earthen and stone sculptures had been broken or crumbled in the skirmish. His hollow chest suddenly flooded with pure determination.

            He jumped onto Pewku’s back; she squeaked in surprise.

            “Go, Pewku!” he cried, grabbing a kolhii stick that was leaning up against a nearby boulder. Pewku skittered towards the rahkshi, who had all their attention focused on the Toa. Takua and Pewku approached the nearest rahkshi, and Takua swung the kolhii stick with all his might.

            Before he could react, the rahkshi whirled and caught Takua’s stick in it’s clawed hand, and wrenched it out of his hands. Takua stumbled, nearly falling off Pewku’s back. The rahkshi raised its staff with its other hand. Takua’s pet crab jumped back to avoid the rahkshi’s incoming blow. The next second, the rahkshi was pinned to the ground under Toa Pohatu’s foot. The creature was stunned, but still twitched.

            “Are you okay, Takua?” Pohatu asked. Takua nodded, still shaken.

            Pohatu cracked a quick smile, then leapt back into battle with the two remaining rahkshi. One was nosing through the rubble much like the first three were at Ta-Koro, and the other was battling Onua.

            Onua and the rahkshi clashed weapons again and again, making hard metallic clangs echo throughout the village chamber. Finally they were in a lock, and the rahkshi pushed hard against the Earth Toa, causing him to fall backwards, landing on his back. The rahkshi took another swing at him with its staff, and Onua blocked it with his drills.

            As he pushed with all his might, Onua’s arms began visibly trembling. Waves of energy came off him, and were absorbed by the rahkshi’s staff. Onua’s already pale face seemed to drain of all remaining color, and his green eyes seemed to begin to fade.

            “P-pohatu,” he croaked. The rahkshi pulled away from him, hissing with pleasure. Onua’s arms dropped to the floor and his weapons fell with a clatter.

            “Onua, no!” Pohatu cried, sprinting forwards. Even with his speed, Pohatu was struck by a red blast from one of the other rahkshi. Immediately Pohatu froze in place, trembling, eyes wide with fear. “N-no, O-onua,” he said, stiffly dropping his weapons.

            Takua was about to cry to Mata Nui himself in despair, when he heard loud, hurried footsteps behind him, and a very welcome and familiar voice.

            “Don’t you lay a finger on him, Rahkshi bastards!” Tahu shouted. Takua’s knees almost buckled in relief. He turned to see Tahu, Gali, and Lewa rushing into the battle together. But Takua also felt a twinge of worry as he caught a glimpse of Tahu’s face. The green gash was not only still there, but also the surrounding skin was all grey and a spiderweb of glowing green veins seemed to be creeping from it in all directions. It had turned the whites and iris of one of Tahu’s orange eyes a sickly green.

            As Pohatu stayed rooted on the spot in paralyzing fear, Tahu blasted fireballs from his sword at the new rahkshi. Gali followed close behind, shooting blasts of water at the other. The rahkshi that was stunned by Pohatu earlier began to stir and stand itself up, and Lewa thrust a blast of air from his sword that sent it flying into the wall, where it crumpled to the floor once again.

            With Pewku, Takua backed away from the battlefield as much as he could without missing a single moment. Aided with a strong air current, Lewa flew over Tahu and Gali’s battle with the two rahkshi and landed next to Pohatu.

            “It’s okay, brother,” Lewa said to the Toa of Stone, patting him on the back, “We’re here. Everything’s going to be okay.”

            Pohatu managed to turn his gaze to his fellow Toa, and as soon as their eyes met, his muscles relaxed, and he exhaled calmly. He grinned ear to ear and Lewa did the same.

            “Thanks, Lewa,” Pohatu said, quickly retrieving his weapons with his super-speed and rushing to Onua’s side. Tahu went flying past them, crashing into a boulder and slumping to the floor.

            “Tahu!” Gali shouted, locking her weapons with a rahkshi’s staff. Tahu’s head snapped up and he leaped to his feet.

            “I’m not done with you,” he growled at the approaching rahkshi. The rahkshi stopped a few meters away from the Toa of Fire, raised its staff, and fired a purple bolt of energy. Tahu blocked it with his domelike shield, and began to advance on the creature.

            The rahkshi swung its staff, and Tahu blocked it with one of his swords. Without warning, the rahkshi kicked out with its leg, knocking the wind out of Tahu, and sending him flying backwards once again. As Tahu lay on the floor groaning, the rahkshi sent another blast of purple energy at him. This time it hit, and Tahu writhed on the ground in agony for a few short seconds and lay still.

            Gali saw this during her battle with the other rahkshi. She gritted her teeth, sending a large deluge towards the creature. She knocked it off its feet and into a wall, then as the rahkshi hissed and twitched on the floor Gali ran to Tahu’s side.

            “Brother, are you alright?” She lay a hand on Tahu’s shoulder, and the Toa of Fire bolted upright. Much to her and Takua’s horror, both his eyes blazed with a crazed and sickly green. Tahu snarled at her, causing her to jump back.

            Without a word, Tahu swung his swords with all his might, sending a powerful blast of fire in Gali’s direction. The nimble Toa of Water backflipped out of the flame’s reach and caught hold of a stalactite.

            “Get down here!” Tahu shouted. He began tossing fireballs at Gali, who leaped from stalactite to stalactite, sending a blast of water his way every time she landed.

            “Tahu, snap out of it!” Gali yelled. Tahu threw a large blast of fire after her, which hit the stalactite she was on. It broke from the ceiling, and Gali fell with it, twisting herself in the air. She called a long tendril of water from a nearby underground stream and wound it into a coil shape beneath her to soften her landing.

            “I’m going to kill you, Toa of Water!” Tahu kept throwing fire at her. Gali sighed, finally calling upon as much water as she could, and after dodging a few of Tahu’s attacks, blasted Tahu will a powerful jet of water. The enraged Fire Toa tumbled head over heels backwards, losing his grip on his swords. He started to rise to his feet again, snarling.

            Takua braced himself for another blow between the Toa, but suddenly a white figure appeared behind Tahu, freezing him solid with the tip of his blade.

            “Kopaka!” Gali cried, rushing forward.

            “I’m sorry, brother,” Kopaka said to the frozen Tahu. Gali caught Kopaka in a hug, which made him stumble in surprise. They promptly broke apart.

            “We need to get him out of here,” Gali said hurriedly. Kopaka nodded.

            Takua had just realized that all three rahkshi had recovered from the assault of the Toa, and were readying their staffs. Suddenly he and Pewku were swept high into the air. It was Toa Lewa, holding on to Takua’s wrist with one hand and one of Pewku’s claws in the other. Takua’s Ussal squealed in surprise.

            In no time, Lewa had carried and placed him near another one of Onu-Koro’s entrances, one of which led straight to the surface.

            “We’ll get you to safety, then you need to find Jaller again!” Lewa told him, flying back into the village to pick up Gali and Kopaka and the frozen Tahu. None of them knew where Pohatu and Onua were in the mess of debris piling up in the Onu-Koro cavern.

            Using powerful air currents, Lewa carried all of them to a safe clearing in the jungle, as far from the rahkshi as they could be. Kopaka and Gali placed the frozen Tahu on a flat slab of rock. Lewa tied vines around his wrists and ankles, and tied those vines to jagged parts of the rock slab to restrain the Fire Toa. Kopaka raised his hand above Tahu, and the icy coating around him slowly melted.

            The newly thawed Toa of Fire began to struggle immediately, pulling at the vines that kept him down. He snarled angrily, eyes blazing.

            “What happened to him?” Lewa asked with wide eyes.

            “One of the rahkshi at Ta-Koro poisoned him,” Gali said, placing her axes on the ground and rubbing her hands together, “and that other rahkshi must have sped up the process. If we don’t act now, the poison will reach his heart and he’ll die.”

            “How do we cure him?” Kopaka asked, still gripping his blade vigilantly.

            “Lewa, grab one of Tahu’s swords and hold it above him,” Gali instructed. Lewa did as she said. “Kopaka, cross your blade with Tahu’s.”

            Kopaka held out his blade, and as soon as it touched Tahu’s sword the two weapons reacted, sending waves of heat and cold through the Fire Toa’s body. Tahu roared in pain during the process, pulling harder on the vines around his wrists.

            “Okay, that’s enough!” Gali commanded after a few long seconds. Lewa and Kopaka lowered the weapons, and the energy flow stopped. Tahu stopped screaming and let out a gasp, going limp.

            “Tahu…” Lewa sighed sadly. Kopaka looked on stoically.

            Gali stood above Tahu’s head, summoning up a small orb of water between her hands. She gently guided it through the air, and dropped it onto Tahu’s chest, where it expanded and engulfed his whole body. The water drained away in seconds, and as it did the skin on Tahu’s face cleared up, only leaving behind a scar from the initial scratch he got from the rahkshi. Tahu’s breathing evened out, and he appeared to be sleeping peacefully.

            Takua let out a sigh of relief and awe. He never had witnessed the Toa use their powers to heal wounds before. He instinctively reached into his bag and scribbled down the details of what just occurred.

            Gali was visibly exhausted, she had grown pale and her blue eyes had faded slightly. She began to collapse and Kopaka caught her before she hit the ground.

            “You did all you could,” he said. Gali gave him a weak smile and stumbled towards a nearby river. She waded into it, and sighed contentedly. Takua could see the color slowly return to her face and eyes.

            “How long before he wakes up?” Lewa asked.

            “It shouldn’t be more than a few hours,” Gali called to him from the river.

            Takua suddenly felt the heavy weight of exhaustion in his limbs and sank into a sitting position under a tree. He fell asleep for an indeterminable amount of time, then felt a firm hand shaking his shoulder.

            “Chronicler, wake up,” said Kopaka’s icy voice.

            “Hum? Oh, Toa Kopaka,” Takua mumbled, vision still clouded from sleep.

            “You need to go find Jaller,” Kopaka said firmly.

            “Ah… that’s right,” Takua said rubbing his eyes, “Yeah, I’m going.”

            Kopaka nodded to him, and slipped away into the trees. Lewa bounded up to Takua, bright green eyes shining.

            “Takua, Kopaka, he’s awake! Hey, Kop—“ Lewa spun around on his heels, scanning the area, “—where did he go?”

            Takua shrugged, and Lewa rolled his eyes. “Why does he do that?” the Air Toa groaned, but perked up again and called to Gali, “Hey, sister! Tahu’s awake!”

            Gali turned sharply, and quickly sloshed out of the river, squeezing excess water from her silver hair. She and Lewa rushed to Tahu’s side. The Fire Toa’s eyes were their normal orange color, and his breathing was even. Lewa untied the vines from his wrists and ankles.

            “Tahu, how do you feel?”

            Tahu sat up, groaning and holding the side of his head, “Terrible,” he said. The Fire Toa caught a glimpse of Gali’s worried expression, and his gaze softened, “but, I am alive. And I owe you one, sister.” He held out a fist, and Gali bumped it with hers.

            Takua smiled. Without a word to any of them, he mounted Pewku.

            “Let’s go find Jaller,” he whispered to her, and away she carried him through the jungle, and up into a mountain range that cut through the jungle, and led down into Kini-Nui.


	24. Showdown at the Great Temple

            The mountains were quiet. A heavy mist hung low in the sky, and there was no sign of the sun. Takua shivered. He wondered if he’d ever feel the sun’s heat again. Pewku was panting, so he dismounted her. He stood towards the edge of the cliffs, looking out into the horizon. He felt fear flutter in his chest.

            The island down below didn’t look like the same one he’d lived on his whole life. The bright green blanket of trees that made up the region of Le-Wahi seemed to have lost saturation. The sea no longer sparkled. Smoke rose off to the north, from the place Ta-Koro used to be. He couldn’t see the peak of Mount Ihu anymore; it was shrouded in thick gray mist.

            His mind flashed back to his encounter in the cave. Makuta didn’t really expect him to just hand over the Stone of Light, right? Even if he did, there’s no way the Master of Shadows would spare the lives of any of the matoran or their villages. All he wanted was destruction.

            At the same time, Takua couldn’t shake the creeping dread that one statement gave him: _Your friend will die. And it will be because of you._ Takua wasn’t sure if fate existed. He wasn’t sure of many things. But he did know that he could never forgive himself if Jaller died because of him. He had to find his friend before Makuta did.

            A thought struck him. “But why me? What does Makuta have against me specifically? I’m just the Chronicler!” he spoke out loud. Pewku skittered to his side and chirped, as if in response. He smiled, and continued talking to her. “I mean, why does Makuta want to kill _my_ friend? He could threaten literally anyone else…” Pewku stared at him blankly, then chirped again. She scampered in a circle around him, then pushed him from behind.

            “What is it, girl?” Takua asked, stumbling forward. Pewku bounced and chirped again. Then she scampered ahead of him, stopping a few meters away to check if he was following.

            Takua bounded after his pet, feeling a renewal of energy. Maybe she caught Jaller’s scent trail! For a long time Takua ran after Pewku, and the only sounds besides the wind were their collective footfalls and Takua’s heavy breathing. Another earthquake began to shake the mountains, making him stumble once again. Just ahead, he heard someone yelp.

            “Hello?” Takua called out into the mist. The shaking in the mountains stopped.

            “T-Takua?” Jaller’s voice echoed softly through the mountains. Takua felt a surge of joy in his chest.

            “Jaller! I’m here!” Takua cried happily, sprinting forward. Pewku chirped and followed close behind. As he ran, he could hear Jaller’s gasping breaths get closer and closer. Takua skidded to a stop, as the edge of the cliff suddenly loomed far too close in front of him. His boots dangled halfway over the edge, and he fell backwards onto his backside.

            “Jaller?” Takua called.

            “I-I’m over—over here…” Jaller’s voice was strained. Takua looked around, and finally spotted his friend. He was just a few feet to the left of him, desperately grasping the edge of the cliff. His eyes were wide, and his legs dangled uselessly. His other hand was still clutching the Stone.

            Takua rushed over to him, scrambling on his hands and knees to the ledge. He leaned over, trying not to look at the trees and ground far below. He grabbed Jaller’s wrist, and pulled with all his might. Soon Jaller was back up on the ledge, sitting next to Takua and trying to catch his breath.

            Jaller exhaled loudly, looking back at Takua. He smirked. “Well, well, well. Whatever happened to ‘I’m quitting’?”

            Takua felt heat rush to his face. He scratched the back of his head and cleared his throat. “I..um…changed my mind…”

            Jaller stared at him for an uncomfortably long amount of time. He punched Takua’s arm, harder than usual. Takua grunted in pain, but didn’t protest. He deserved every moment of throbbing pain.

            “You’re a real ass,” Jaller said rather angrily.

            “I’m really sorry, Jaller,” Takua said, staring at his hands, “I am an ass. And if you want to punch me again, go ahead.”

            Jaller’s hard expression brightened. And he socked Takua again, on the same shoulder.

            “Ow!” Takua exclaimed.

            “Now we’re even,” Jaller said, cracking a wide grin. Takua grinned back.

            “So, any great adventures while I was out here?” Jaller continued, rising to his feet and offering his hand to his friend. Takua took it and Jaller helped pull him upright. Takua’s grin slowly vanished.

            “I went to Onu-Koro. It was attacked by rahkshi.”

            Fear flashed in Jaller’s eyes. “Wait, but Kopaka froze them!”

            “There are more. These ones had different powers,” Takua shuffled his feet in the dirt. He recounted the whole story to his friend, who listened intently.

            When Takua finished Jaller blew air from his mouth sharply. “Well,” he said, pulling the Stone out of his pocket. It lit up the fog around them. “We better find the Seventh Toa soon.”

            The two of them mounted Pewku once again, and despite the state of things Takua’s spirits felt lighter. To be elbow to elbow with his best friend on the back of his beloved pet made everything seem like it was going to be okay. He wouldn’t let Makuta win, and he wouldn’t let anything happen to Jaller.

*          *            *

            They followed the light of the Stone for miles down the mountain range. It was slow going because of the thick fog, but once it cleared the Great Temple at Kini-Nui was visible below them. As they approached the downward slope that lead directly to it, Takua and Jaller dismounted Pewku and walked the rest of the way. Takua patted his pet on the head, muttering “good girl” to her. Jaller held up the Stone. Finally they halted in front of the towering spires of the Great Temple.

            Jaller looked at the Stone again, and the beam of light faded. He held it up, pointing it in all directions, but it no longer lit up.

            “I guess this must be the place,” Jaller said. Takua squinted at the Stone, and his gaze snapped up to their surroundings.

            “Wait, you mean to tell me we’ve gone all over the island just to wind up here?” Takua groaned.

            “Why not? It’s a sacred place,” Jaller commented.

            “This thing’s gotta be broken,” Takua said, swiping the Stone from Jaller’s hands, who didn’t protest. Takua grasped the Stone with both hands. He felt it grow hotter at his touch. He shook it impatiently, waiting for it to light up a path again.

            The Stone grew hotter still, and before Takua could react a powerful beam of light shot out of it, shattering a piece off one of the Temple’s spires.

            “Takua! What did you do?!” Jaller cried.

            “Oops,” was all Takua could muster. The Stone cooled slightly, but was still warm enough to make his hands sweat.

            “It’s never done that before,” Jaller said, staring at it, “How did you get it to—?”

            The ground began to shake violently, and the two friends practically held on to each other to keep balance. Up ahead in the center of the Temple cracks appeared in the ground, and the three rahkshi from Onu-Koro burst out, scattering rocks everywhere. A large piece of debris flew at Takua and Jaller, and the two dove in different directions to avoid it.

            As Takua landed on his hands and knees, he lost his grip on the Stone, and it rolled away from him. Takua scrambled to grab it again, but a large foot came down on it, pinning it to the ground. His gaze rose, and fixed upon a rahkshi, hissing down at him. Takua gulped.

            The rahkshi swiped the Stone up with a clawed hand. It threw its head back and shrieked triumphantly. Takua felt rooted to the ground. He remembered just how huge these creatures were, and how small he was. But suddenly something stirred inside him again. He had felt this before, but still didn’t know exactly what it meant. However, a determined thought entered his mind: _They can’t win. Makuta can’t win. I won’t let them._

            The creature screeched, dropping the Stone. Smoke rose from its sinewy fingers. It snarled, and fixed its glowing red eyes on Takua. He stood up, meeting the creature’s gaze.

            “Back off,” he hissed. The creature snarled at him again. Takua took a step forward, and the creature actually took a small step back. Despite all the questions that ran through him mind at the moment, Takua took another step. “I said back off, you ugly bastard,” he snapped.

            Out of nowhere Jaller landed on the rahkshi’s back and wrapped his arms around its throat. The creature screeched and swung around, trying to shake Jaller off its back. Seeing the opportunity, Takua dove and grabbed the Stone from the ground. He scrambled to his feet and pointed the Stone at the rahkshi.

            “Jaller, run!” Takua said. Jaller obeyed, jumping down from the creature’s back. As it spun to focus on Takua, another beam of light shot out of the Stone and fried one of the creature’s eyes. It sizzled slightly, and the rahkshi shrieked. Enraged, the creature began to advance on Takua, who began sprinting for his life.

            He didn’t have to run far before hearing a solid clang of metal against metal, and a soft thump of something big hitting the ground. Turning, he saw Toa Onua standing over the crumpled form of the rahkshi that was chasing him.

            “Hello, Chronicler,” Onua said, smiling pleasantly.

            “Toa Onua! You’re okay!” Takua said.

            “It’s all thanks to this guy,” Onua pointed behind him. Toa Kopaka strolled calmly forward, with Toa Pohatu trotting close behind.

            “Yeah, our icy friend here got us out of the collapsing caves,” Pohatu said, patting Kopaka roughly on the back. Kopaka smiled at him, then returned to his stoic state.

            “Less talking, more fighting,” Kopaka said, readying his bladed weapon. Takua breathed a sigh of relief. The three Toa began clashing weapons with the three rahkshi, filling the air with the solid clanging of metal on metal. Takua backed away from the scuffle, and ran to find Jaller. He met with his friend in the center of the Temple.

            “What do we do now?” Jaller asked. Before Takua could answer, a shout from one of the Toa reached their ears. The two friends turned and saw Kopaka, Onua, and Pohatu all lying on the ground, slightly stunned and struggling to stand up again. The three rahkshi at fixed their eyes on Takua.

            “Oh, right, the Stone…” Takua gulped. The three rahkshi were advancing on him and Jaller from all sides. Takua wrapped both his hands around the Stone, grasping so hard he thought his knuckles would snap. The rahkshi were getting closer, and there was nowhere to run. Takua and Jaller found themselves back to back.

            “We’re trapped…” Takua said.

            “…but not helpless!” Jaller declared, unsheathing his guard staff and pointing it at the surrounding rahkshi.

            Takua felt himself shrink. The rahkshi were nearly upon them. Suddenly the creatures were all swept away by a powerful vortex, and Takua and Jaller were left untouched. With a fresh wave of relief Takua saw that nearby Lewa, Gali, and Tahu had appeared on the scene, brandishing their weapons.

            “Thank Mata Nui!” Takua exclaimed. He heard Jaller give a short and relieved laugh.

            “We’re done running away,” Tahu said, an excited glint in his orange eyes. He swung his swords, leaving trails of flame in their wake. He blasted one of the rahkshi, which was grazed by the fire on one of its shoulders. It shrieked, and sent a burst of energy after Tahu, who summoned up his shield to deflect it.

            Gali had run over to Kopaka, Pohatu, and Onua to help them to their feet, and now returned with the three of them, slinging ribbons of water at the rahkshi. She came face to face with one rahkshi, clashed her axes with its staff a few times, and then leaped out of the way when she saw another rahkshi swing its staff in her direction. The second rahkshi accidentally hit the first, knocking its companion out.

            Lewa summoned up another whirlwind, kicking up a lot of dust and sand. The sandy vortex caught one rahkshi, and it spun wildly. Tahu threw fire at it, creating a large burning tornado of sand. Both Lewa and Tahu lowered their weapons, and the winds and fire died down. In its place was a twisted pillar of glass with the rahkshi frozen inside. The two Toa fist-bumped.

            Meanwhile, Kopaka, Pohatu, Onua, and Gali were all after the last rahkshi. They all were throwing their respective elements at it, but it dodged every attack. Then it began firing its purple energy bursts wildly. The four Toa switched from offense to defense in seconds. Gali flipped and tumbled out of the way. Pohatu was a brownish blur, circling the rahkshi and flinging rocks whenever he got the chance. Kopaka blocked the energy bursts with his shield, while Onua did the same with large slabs of earth he’d called up from the ground.

            The rahkshi whirled suddenly, and with its staff it swept Pohatu’s rapid legs from underneath him, and the Toa of Stone hit the ground hard. Before the other Toa could react, the rahkshi blasted Pohatu with its purple energy.

            Pohatu sprung to his feet. His usually friendly demeanor was twisted and angry. With a roar, he lunged forward, levitating and throwing large boulders in Kopaka’s direction. The Ice Toa sliced a few boulders with his blade, and blocked a few with his shield. Even after several minutes of this, Pohatu didn’t calm, and Kopaka’s stoic expression slowly morphed into one of frustration.

            “Pohatu, cut it out!” Kopaka yelled over the sound of boulders shattering against his shield, “I’m not your enemy!”

            “Shut up!” Pohatu shouted, kicking up several boulders and smashing them in Kopaka’s direction.

            “Gali, Onua! Take out that last rahkshi!” Kopaka shouted at the others. As Gali and Onua began their attacks, Kopaka continued to shield himself from Pohatu’s barrage of stone.

            “Pohatu, don’t make me fight you!” Kopaka said. He blocked another boulder, but another came at him in the next instant and he didn’t have time to react to it before it hit him in the head. Kopaka stumbled. Blood trickled down from underneath his white hair. He sighed angrily, and with a swing of his weapon, Pohatu’s feet were frozen to the ground under a thick coating of ice. The Toa of Stone snarled at Kopaka, much like Tahu had in the battle for Onu-Koro.

            The Toa of Ice approached Pohatu. Pohatu threw a punch, but Kopaka caught his fist in his hand. With his free hand, Kopaka slapped Pohatu across the face.

            “You can stop now,” Kopaka said calmly. Pohatu looked stunned, but his expression darkened again.

            “Why should I?” he snarled. Kopaka slapped him again.

            “Because we’re friends,” Kopaka said, cracking a small smile. Pohatu’s eyes seemed to change; the friendly light within them returned, and he gazed at Kopaka.

            “You really mean that?”

            “Of course,” Kopaka said, turning away from him and releasing him from the ice with a wave of his hand. The newly freed Pohatu whooped, pulling Kopaka into a bear hug from behind.

            “Okay, okay,” Kopaka laughed, pushing the Toa of Stone off him.

            “Let’s get back to business,” Pohatu grinned, and the two ran to help their fellow Toa.

            Now all six Toa were faced with the last rahkshi. Tahu stood at the front of the group, and raised one of his fire swords.

            “Now, as one!” he cried, and all six Toa fired their elemental energies at the last rahkshi. Just as they’d done with the Bahrag all that time ago, they combined their elements to form that silvery substance that congealed and froze the creature in place.

            Takua became aware of himself again. He was still standing by Jaller, who watched the Toa with an expression of admiration that mirrored his own. Takua was about to open his mouth to say something, when he heard a faint hiss behind him.

            Before he could turn all the way around, Takua was struck in the back by something. He saw a burst of red color, and instantly he was filled with the worst, most crippling fear he’d ever felt in his life. All of his muscles were locked in place, and he was trembling hard. He felt darkness creep around his mind, and filled it with Makuta’s deep and malevolent voice, taunting him, telling him about the untimely fates of everyone he knew and cared about.

            No, no, stop it, was all Takua could think. He couldn’t move. Please just make it stop. His chest felt like it was imploding. He couldn’t feel his limbs anymore. Was he still holding the Stone? Suddenly he became vaguely aware of something standing over him, hissing. It had to be a rahkshi, the one the Toa had knocked out and forgotten about. Takua felt tears fill his eyes as he desperately tried to croak out a cry for help.

            “Leave him alone!” he heard Jaller’s voice say, and the rahkshi shrieked in surprise. Finally mustering up the strength, Takua turned his head, and saw his friend on the rahkshi’s back, guard staff at its throat. The rahkshi threw him off easily, and Jaller landed on the ground. His friend seemed stunned, but managed to stand up again.

            Jaller lunged forward, wielding his guard staff. The rahkshi lunged forward as well. Takua reached his hand out, beginning a scream of “no” directed at his friend. Jaller’s guard staff collided with the rahkshi’s staff, and the small blade shattered into tiny metal fragments. With a powerful burst of red energy, Jaller was flung backwards. He hit the ground hard, sliding a few feet before lying still.

            Takua felt the unnaturally powerful fear leave him, and he sprinted forward towards his friend. Soon he was at Jaller’s side. His friend was coated in the same red energy Takua had been, and he was trembling violently. Takua touched his friend’s shoulder, and his hand came back bloody.

            He panicked. “Jaller! Are you okay? Come on, speak to me!”

            Jaller’s eyes were still wide with fear. And Takua kept finding injuries. His friend’s shoulder had a deep gash with some metal shards in it. The back of Jaller’s head was bleeding also; he must’ve hit a rock when he fell. There were bruises on his hands and arms. Takua dug through his bag, finding some gauze. He started to wrap up some of Jaller’s injuries to stop the bleeding.

            Despite his efforts, Takua grew alarmed to find his friend’s breath was getting slower and more ragged. Blood pooled underneath Jaller. Mata Nui, that’s too much blood, Takua thought, he’s going to bleed out!

            “Come on, Jaller, don’t quit on me now!” Takua said. He felt as though his lungs had shrunk, and that he wasn’t getting enough air. Jaller’s yellow eyes began to cloud over. He smiled weakly, and grasped Takua’s hand suddenly.

            “I’m sorry Takua,” he croaked. Takua squeezed his friend’s hand.

            “Don’t say that. I should be apologizing to you! I’m sorry I got you in trouble with Turaga Vakama that one time, and for making us late for the kolhii game, and for putting the whole Herald responsibility on you—“

            “—I don’t care about any of that,” Jaller laughed, which induced a coughing fit.

            “Jaller, try not to talk! I can fix you up!”

            “No, it’s too late,” Jaller said. Takua’s breath stopped completely.

            “D-Don’t say that!” he said, beginning to choke on his words.

            “Takua, listen,” Jaller whispered. Takua’s eyes filled with tears.

            “No, Jaller—“

            “—I think I get it now. The Stone stopped working when we got here. You made it shoot light energy…”

            “What are you saying?”

            “Takua,” Jaller grasped Takua’s hand harder, “I _was_ the Herald. And I’ve found you.”

            Jaller’s grip loosened, and his hand collapsed to the ground. His yellow eyes closed, and the Captain of the Guard’s last breath whispered out of his lips. Takua felt a horrible crushing sensation in his chest. Tears spilled down his cheeks, and he felt a sob shake his whole body.

            “No, no, no…” he whispered, choking on sobs. He wrapped his arms around his friend, resting his head to Jaller’s chest. There was no heartbeat. Takua could feel darkness enveloping him, wrapping around his chest and throat. He could feel Makuta’s red eyes blazing holes through him, he could hear mocking laughter.

            “Takua,” Gali’s gentle voice pierced the darkness, bringing Takua back to reality. The Toa of Water stood above him, as well as all the others. All of them wore grave and sympathetic expressions. Suddenly aware that he was crying in front of the Toa, he rubbed his eyes on the back of his hand, coughing to cover his shame.

            Gali crouched down to his level, and pulled him into a hug. Takua felt another rush of grief, and it brought on a fresh round of tears. He squeezed his eyes shut. He could feel the other Toa around him, joining the hug as a group in an effort to comfort him.

            He wished the moment would last forever, but after a few minutes the Toa pulled away. Gali released Takua last, gazing into his eyes.

            “I heard what Jaller said,” she said, “I think you know what happens next.”

            Takua sniffed, wiping his eyes and clearing his throat. “But why me?”

            “Why you?” Gali said, smiling, “Why us? Why anyone? Only Mata Nui knows for sure.”

            “But I can’t…I-I’m just the Chronicler.”

            “You _can_ do this,” Toa Tahu spoke up. His orange eyes were filled with sincerity.

            “You’ve done some amazing things for the island,” Lewa chimed in.

            “No one feels like they can do it at first,” Onua added.

            “None of us were really ready for it when we came here,” Pohatu said.

            “You just have to go for it,” Kopaka finished. The six Toa stood side by side, all their eyes fixed on him, all encouraging.

            Gali smiled again, placing a hand on Takua’s shoulder. “We’ll all be here for you. Until the very end.”

            Takua smiled back. Emotions seemed to have flooded his whole body, and threatened to spill over. Feeling tears coming on again, he took a deep breath and blinked them away. He gripped the Stone of Light in his hand, staring at its golden surface.

            The warmth of the Stone traveled from his hands inward to his chest. Determination filled his whole body, and he closed his eyes, letting a wave of calm wash over him. He gripped the Stone harder still, and the heat increased. In his mind was only one thought: _I’m ready._


	25. The Seventh Toa

            Light surrounded Takua, blinding him. His hands began to heat up excessively as the Stone shone brighter and brighter still. A burning sensation traveled up his arms, into his chest, then back out to the rest of his body. All thoughts had ceased; he simply let the heat take over.

            Strength flowed into his limbs. He felt his very being expanding. He wasn’t sure if he was standing or sitting, or if his eyes were closed or open. For a long time there was no sound, no pain, and no weight.

            Just like waking up from a dream, all his senses began flooding back. Takua opened his eyes, and saw the six Toa staring at him in awe. The second thing he noticed is that they were now eye-level to him. He looked down at himself.

            Takua had grown much taller. His muscles were more built. Even when he simply opened and closed his hand, he could feel a new strength in each muscle and tendon. He was clad in armor like the Toa Nuva, only it was a reflective gold. A glint caught his eye, and he found a long staff lying by his feet. He picked it up, and it felt practically weightless in his hand. It felt right.

            He looked back up at the other Toa, who were all still as awestruck as he was at his transformation. Takua cleared his throat, and spoke with a voice that rang out louder than he was expecting.

            “I am Takanuva,” he declared, “I am the Toa of Light.”

            Pohatu burst out laughing suddenly. His eyes were wide with wonder. “Well, what do you know,” the Toa of Stone said, “Our very own Chronicler was the Seventh Toa all along.” Despite himself, Takanuva grinned.

            “Welcome to the team,” Tahu said formally, holding out his hand. Takanuva shook it.

            The other Toa gathered around him, patting him on the back and muttering encouraging words. Takanuva felt as though he was glowing.

            The feeling didn’t last long. He remembered Jaller, still lying on the ground in a pool of blood. He gently pushed past the Toa and ran to his friend’s side. Takanuva felt a fresh prick of pain in his heart. Jaller looked as though he was only sleeping. As gently as he could, he lifted his friend from the ground and carried him to the center of the Great Temple. He placed Jaller on the altar in the center while the other Toa looked on.

            Calling upon his new powers, Takanuva summoned a pillar of light that surrounded Jaller. His friend’s body levitated a few inches off the altar and lay there, suspended. His friend’s wounds closed up. Takanuva heard a sad chirp behind him, and there he saw Pewku, looking up at Jaller beside him.

            “Yeah, I’m sorry too Pewku,” he whispered with a mixture of affection and sadness. He looked back up at his friend’s body. Pewku nudged his leg. He turned, and she chirped at him. Takanuva smiled.

            Pohatu appeared beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll summon the Turaga.” Takanuva nodded in response, and in the next instant Pohatu had sprinted away at near sonic-speed.

            It didn’t take long for the Turaga and a few select matoran to show up at Kini-Nui. As they arrived, Takanuva became acutely aware of the lot of them staring at him. Turaga Vakama approached him first.

            “So, you’ve arrived at last,” the old man said half-jokingly, “So, shall I call you Toa Takua now?”

            “It’s Takanuva, actually,” the new Toa answered, smiling.

            “Ah,” the Turaga said. He strolled slowly with the support of his firestaff, stopping in front of the altar where Jaller’s body was suspended by Takanuva’s light. The Turaga closed his eyes, head bowing. “He was a good Captain. And a successful Herald.”

            “And the best friend I could have asked for,” Takanuva finished, his heart aching.

            Vakama turned back to the new Toa, his old wise smiling fading to an expression of seriousness. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

            Takanuva glanced at the gathering crowd of Turaga and matoran. He spotted Hahli standing by Turaga Nokama’s side. Her eyes were wide and glistening. Hahli rushed forward, pushing past matoran to get to the altar. Soon she was by Takanuva’s side, looking up at Jaller’s limp form floating above their heads.

            “Jaller…no…” she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. Takanuva kneeled next to her, putting an arm around her. She turned and wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest.

            “I’m so sorry,” he whispered to her, feeling the tears coming once again, “There was nothing I could do.”

            “No, no, don't blame yourself,” Hahli sniffed, wiping her tears with her hands. She took a deep breath and gave Takanuva a sad smile. He couldn’t bring himself to return it.

            Takanuva looked up and saw the crowd had gathered around Jaller’s pillar of light, looking on with expressions varying from deep respect to mourning. Some were crying; Takanuva noticed that Matoro of all people was in tears, though as far as Takua knew the Ko-Matoran hadn’t known Jaller all that well.

            Turaga Vakama spoke to Takanuva again. “All that’s left to do is face your destiny.”

            “Yes, Turaga,” Takanuva said, doubt crossing his mind, “But where do I start?”

            Without a word, Vakama walked to the crumpled body of the rahkshi that killed Jaller. With great effort, he bent down and wrenched the creature’s headplate open. He pulled out a large wriggling worm-like creature with spikes on its back and a mouth with tiny sharp teeth and a forked tongue. Vakama gripped it tightly around its slimy throat, and walked back to Takanuva and held it out to him. Takanuva held it like the Turaga had, starting to feel sick at the way it writhed in his hands.

            “What is the Makuta’s shall return to him,” Turaga Vakama said simply.

            “So this thing will lead me to Makuta?”

            The Turaga nodded. Takanuva gave a slight bow of his head, and headed towards the circular platform on the Temple grounds that had taken him down to the Borok nest all that time ago. If I start underground, I’m bound to find Makuta eventually, he thought.

            Before he could step onto the platform, a voice stopped him.

            “Wait, Takanuva!” it was Hahli, followed by the other Toa.

            The Ga-Matoran, though she was now several feet shorter than him, stood tall. “I’m coming with you.”

            “We all are,” Tahu said.

            “I’m sorry, but you can’t,” Takanuva said.

            “Why? We defeated the rahkshi by working together,” said Pohatu.

            “You’re not thinking of taking on Makuta by yourself.” Kopaka added. It was more of a statement than a question.

            Takanuva smiled, warmed by their support. “This is my destiny,” he said simply. He looked down at Hahli and added, “And it’s far too dangerous for you.”

            Hahli put her foot down, “I’m going. Someone has to be your Chronicler, right?”

            Taken aback, Takanuva laughed. “Don’t you know what’s down there?”

            “Makuta, of course,” Hahli said.

            “And you still want to—?”

            “—yes.”

            Takanuva had a feeling even if he said no again she’d follow him anyway. He nodded to her. Hahli beamed, and bounded to his side. He turned to the other Toa.

            “All of you should stay here and guard the matoran and Turaga.”

            They all looked hesitant, but nodded in agreement. They turned to walk away. Tahu was the last to leave.

            “Be careful, Takanuva,” he said.

            “Thank you, Toa of Fire.”

            “May Mata Nui guide you,” Tahu smiled and followed the others.


	26. The Master of Shadows

            Just as Takanuva had hoped, the platform brought him and Hahli down to Mata Nui’s depths. He lit up the dark tunnels with a small orb of light he conjured from his free hand. The other hand still gripped the writhing creature Vakama had pulled from the rahkshi. With Hahli by his side, Takanuva trekked through the straight tunnel, which sloped downward and branched off into several other tunnels.

            With no little amount of disgust, Takanuva dropped the creature onto the stony floor, and it slithered through a tunnel towards the middle. He and Hahli ran after it. It didn’t take long for them to come upon a large cavern littered with massive pillars. It reminded him of the one where the Toa first fought Makuta’s swirling pillar of darkness. He couldn’t quite believe just how long ago that was.

            The darkness was thick in the cavern, even for his bright orb of light. The creature he’d followed had disappeared, but he knew Makuta was here. Hahli stayed a ways behind him, breathing hard. Sure enough, he heard a stirring in the blackness.

            “Come out Makuta,” he said boldly, “You can’t hide in your shadows any longer.”

            “I am the shadows,” a malevolent voice thundered. A pair of glowing red eyes appeared, and Takanuva readied his new Toa weapon.

            An immense figure stepped out of the thick darkness. He was muscular, towering. Takanuva almost felt like a matoran again. Here was the Master of Shadows himself, the source of all his nightmares. The glowing red eyes peered down on him, and a wide grin spread on his pale bearded face.

            “Well, well,” Makuta uttered, “It seems you didn’t take up on my offer after all.”

            “I’d never agree to anything you offer,” Takanuva snarled, “The Stone was mine to use.”

            Makuta snorted, grinning with too many teeth. “You’re so bold, Toa of Light,” he said mockingly, “But at heart, you are still just Takua: the foolish matoran.”

            Takanuva swung his staff, shooting a beam of light in Makuta’s direction. It cut through the thick shadows around him, but the Master of Shadows drifted smoothly out of the way.

            “You failed to save your dear friend,” Makuta continued, “You didn’t even warn him.”

            Takanuva knew that he was right, and more importantly that he was trying to provoke him. So he took a deep breath. Makuta’s face grew a bit sad.

            “It’s a shame, really. You’re only going to fail again. And it’ll be your last time,” the Master of Shadow’s red eyes blazed and he grinned again. From his flowing black cape he produced a long pointed staff. He swung it upwards, and all the shadows in the cavern swirled about it, creating a black vortex.

            Takanuva threw a beam of light at the vortex, but it was too late. The vortex expanded, filling the entire cavern. Takanuva threw up his staff again, shooting light in every direction. He’d cleared a lot of the blackness away, and caught a glimpse of Makuta through the openings. He shot in that direction, but Makuta disappeared.

            “Too slow, Takua,” Makuta’s voice appeared behind him. Takanuva whirled, and their weapons clashed, throwing sparks in all directions.

            “The name is Takanuva,” the Toa of Light grunted, pushing against Makuta’s staff with all his might. The Master of Shadows’ eyes seemed to flash.

            “Adorable name change,” he hissed, “It doesn’t change your cowardly heart!” Makuta surprised Takanuva with a kick to the torso. The Toa of Light skidded backwards, but stayed on his feet. He lunged forward, swinging his staff and clashing with Makuta’s staff again. He blasted a cone of light at Makuta, who growled and stumbled back, but recovered quickly. He gathered up a concentrated ball of shadow and threw it straight at Takanuva’s face. The Toa of Light dove to the side, and the ball hit and shattered one of the many pillars in the cavern. It crumbled to the floor.

            Takanuva caught sight of Hahli, cowering by the cavern’s entrance. Makuta followed his gaze, and upon seeing her, shot energy from his staff and collapsed the entrance. Hahli was unharmed, but trapped with the two of them.

            Takanuva dove out of the way of a few more of Makuta’s attacks, and found himself next to the rubble. He blasted the blockage with concentrated light, opening the way once again. He tossed a small ball of light in her direction, and it whizzed up into the tunnels.

            “Go!” He shouted at Hahli, who turned and sprinted into the tunnels after the ball of light. Makuta took the opportunity at Takanuva’s momentary distraction to strike him in the back of the head with his staff. The Toa of Light collapsed to the ground. His head throbbed, but miraculously kept conscious.

            Makuta laughed, saying, “Still running, Great Toa?”

            “I’m done running from you,” Takanuva said, whirling and lighting up his staff, throwing beams of light in all directions. Makuta roared and with a quick movement of his arm threw up a veil of shadow. Takanuva shot light at the veil again and again, poking holes in it but not dispelling it. Makuta was silent and out of sight, and Takanuva took a moment to breathe.

            He listened with his heightened Toa senses. There was a soft movement behind him. He turned while swinging his staff, and it sliced Makuta’s arm. Makuta shook off the injury, and began locking weapons with him once again.

            The black cavern lit up with the faint orange lights thrown off by the sparks created by the two’s weapons colliding. For a long while, all the sound Takanuva could hear was the repeated clanging of metal on metal. He felt his breath quicken as panic began to set in. Makuta didn’t show any signs of tiring, but even with his own enhanced strength, Takanuva was beginning to feel a bit winded.

            He leaped backwards, out of the way of Makuta’s large staff. With all his might, he threw out an enormous amount of light from both his staff and his own body as well. Makuta roared again. With unimaginable speed, the Master of Shadows disappeared and re-materialized in front of him, grabbing the Toa of Light by the throat and raising him into the air. Takanuva could feel his legs uselessly dangling as he choked for air.

            Makuta tossed him backwards, and he felt a solid impact on his back as he broke through the wall of the cavern and landed in another tunnel. Takanuva grunted in pain, but held his staff at the ready. Makuta appeared before him again. It was the last thing Takanuva needed: to be stuck in a smaller space with the Master of Shadows.

            Takanuva’s staff collided with Makuta’s, and with a great amount of strain, he slid his weapon along the shaft of Makuta’s weapon and managed to slice Makuta’s wrist. Makuta’s grip was broken for a moment, and Takanuva swung his staff again, landing a blow on Makuta’s face, snapping his head backwards.

            Makuta’s head snapped back, and with a wicked grin he swung his staff, directing thick shadows to envelope the Toa of Light. Temporarily blinded, Takanuva could do nothing as a blow to his side sent him flying once again. He felt himself break through another wall. He stood up with a bit more difficulty than last time. There were cuts and scrapes on his arms and he felt sweat dripping down his face and into his eyes. Blinking furiously, Takanuva lunged at Makuta.

            The Master of Shadows once again dissolved into nothingness, and Takanuva’s staff hit nothing but empty air. Shadows surrounded him on all sides. He prepared his staff, and fired light at the darkness. It cut through a good section of the shadowy wall, but the shadows morphed into the tall and slender figure who could only be a mirror image of Takanuva himself.

            The Shadow Takanuva strode forward, holding a similar staff to the real one. Takanuva braced himself as his Shadow Self swung his weapon. Takanuva backflipped out of the shadow’s reach, landing gracefully on his feet. Shadow Takanuva smirked, and continued its advance.

            “You can’t win this. Deep down, you realize your efforts are futile,” the shadow hissed. Takanuva swung his weapon sideways, slicing harmlessly through the shadowy being, which reformed a quickly as it was cut.

            “You’re just a scared little matoran. It doesn’t make a difference what you look like now.”

            Takanuva closed his eyes, calling up all the power he could. He felt the pure light energy within him humming and moving up to the surface. He opened his eyes again and grinned at his Shadow Self.

            “You’re wrong. I am a Toa!” at this bold declaration, Takanuva’s very being exploded with light, lighting up the tunnel with blinding whiteness. Shadow Takanuva shrieked and fizzled out of existence. The excess shadows also faded away, and revealed Makuta, who flinched in the presence of so much light.

            Takanuva leaped in his direction, bringing his staff down on the Master of Shadows. He met his target, slicing Makuta’s hand clean off. Makuta roared in pure fury. A barrage of concentrated orbs of shadow struck Takanuva head-on, and he fell flat on his back. He laid there for a second to recover, then pushed himself back onto his feet. His heart pounded rapidly, and his breathing was shallow.

            Makuta stood before him, scowling. “Well played, Toa. You’re not as weak as I thought.” He raised the arm that ended in a stump, and shadows swirled around it. When they cleared, Makuta flexed the fingers of his brand new hand. His pale face split into a wide grin. With a wave of his new hand, the ceiling of the tunnel cracked and split apart, showering rocks onto both of them. Takanuva blasted the falling rocks with concentrated light beams, and in the process of protecting himself he lost sight of Makuta once again.

            When everything stopped shaking, Takanuva’s eyes darted around. A shaft of cloudy daylight filtered through the hole in the ceiling. He stayed rooted on the spot, listening. He only heard his own breathing and heartbeat. Makuta didn’t emerge.

            Just to be certain, he cast shafts of light down both ends of the dark tunnels. Nothing happened, and Makuta did not appear. Panic seized his mind. Where could he have gone? The daylight above began to fade, and Takanuva’s breath caught in his throat. Using the rubble from the tunnel’s collapse, he scrambled back up to the surface.


	27. The Three Virtues

            Takanuva pulled himself out of the hole, and found himself about a mile away from Kini-Nui in a large open clearing. Just as he’d feared, the sky was darkening with Makuta’s shadows. A strong wind blew around the area, taking leaves and branches off the surrounding trees. He finally spotted Makuta, who was conjuring up several shadow vortexes at once, laughing maniacally.

            He began to run towards the Master of Shadows, slinging orbs of light this way and that, shattering his vortexes. Takanuva called all his light orbs back, and they spun in a rapid circle around the tip of his staff. Makuta brought his staff down and split the ground open. As the earth separated, Takanuva flipped out of the way of the yawning chasm, and as he landed he shot his spinning light orbs at Makuta.

            The orbs met their target, and Makuta was blown backwards a few feet. Recovering, the Master of Shadows flipped his staff around and shot Takanuva with a bolt of what looked like dark electricity. The Toa of Light felt all his muscles seize, and he collapsed stiffly to the ground. He was blinded again by a veil of shadows that engulfed him like muddy water.

            He concentrated, calling upon the power within himself again. He willed forth an immense amount of light that exploded out from his entire body, dissolving the surrounding shadows and knocking Makuta backwards again. The Master of Shadows skidded a bit further away than last time Takanuva hit him, and he let out a roar of frustration.

            Shadows seemed to burst from Makuta’s very form, blowing back his hair and cape. Shadow spikes erupted from his back, creating a pair of jagged wings. As Takanuva struggled to stand, Makuta swooped upon him in seconds, grabbing him by the throat and rocketing the both of them high into the sky.

            As the air got thinner, and Makuta’s grip got tighter, Takanuva choked and struggled, kicking and scratching at the immense muscular arm that held him. The ground was so far away, and Takanuva began to feel an old fear returning. In this moment, he was Takua again, desperately afraid for his life and powerless to do anything about it.

            “This has been fun,” Makuta snarled, grin widening more by the second. Darkness crept into the corners of Takanuva’s vision, and his limbs began to weaken. Soon Makuta’s grip was released, and the Toa of Light fell, wind screaming past his ears and Makuta’s mocking laughter fading away into the distance. As unconsciousness enveloped him, Takanuva saw the ground looming up ahead, and the flash of something silver.

            When he came to, he found himself in the arms of a large being, soaring through the clouded sky. A pair of bright blue eyes met his gaze, and a large mouth smiled down at him.

            “Wairuha?” Takanuva exclaimed, filling with joy and renewed energy. The titan laughed, commanding the winds to gently place them on the ground. Wairuha put the Toa of Light down onto his feet.

            “We saw the battle from Kini-Nui. We thought you could use a hand,” the titan said, crossing his arms across his massive chest.

            “Thank you,” Takanuva said, taking out his staff. Wairuha did the same, pulling out his bladed weapon, made up from a combination of Gali, Lewa, and Kopaka’s weapons.

            “But, I’m the one Makuta wants,” Takanuva said, “It’s my destiny to face him alone.”

            “Who says you have to be alone?” Akamai said. The other had appeared on Takanuva’s other side, gripping his immense spiked sword.

            “Have you forgotten about Unity?” Wairuha said.

            “I guess you’re right.”

            “We’re all fulfilling our destinies here,” Wairuha continued, “Yours is to bring light to the darkness. And ours is to defend the matoran!”

            “That’s right!” Akamai heartily agreed, “Now let’s kick some ass!”

            With the two Toa Kaita on either side, Takanuva strode forward. Makuta descended in front of the three of them on his spiked wings. They fluttered, and disintegrated, and Makuta dropped the last few feet, and landed on the ground, making it all shake. His red eyes switched between the three of them. Takanuva noticed that the Toa Kaita were just around the same height as Makuta, and that observation gave him a glimmer of hope.

            “You’ve invited some friends,” Makuta sniffed, unimpressed, “Hardly a fair fight, wouldn’t you say?”

            “Shut up, you old bastard!” Akamai shouted, raising his sword, “We’re not here to listen to you talk!” he fired a blast of combined elemental energy form his sword, a swirling mixture of fire, earth, and stone.  Makuta drifted out of the way, feet floating just inches off the ground.

            “Back to the depths of hell with you!” Wairuha declared, firing from his staff. A combination of water, ice, and wind blasted forth, and Makuta dodged it as well. The Master of Shadows raised his hand, gathering up shadow energy, and firing a three-pronged spike. Each spike followed Wairuha, Akamai, and Takanuva, who all dove, skidded, and dodged for their lives. Wairuha bounced a spike off his shield, but it whirled around his head and struck him in the back. As the giant stumbled forward, Takanuva flipped out of the way of another spike, only to find another whizzing towards him.

            He braced himself for impact, but Akamai jumped in front of him and swatted the shadow spike away with his sword. Takanuva didn’t get time to thank him, because another spike was coming up on the titan’s left. Takanuva shot a beam of light at it, and it dissolved into nothingness.

            Makuta had increased the speed of the wind, and soon Takanuva’s whole head was filled with the moaning and screaming of it. He surrounded himself with light, and mimicked Makuta’s previous attack by sending several spiked streaks of light after him.    The Master of Shadows jumped, slid, and flipped out of the way, becoming a blur. Wairuha sliced through his swirling wind with a powerful blast of wind of his own. It struck Makuta on the side of the head, and the Master of Shadows spun and tumbled to the side. Akamai pointed his sword, and called up slabs of earth that struck Makuta from underneath. Makuta growled angrily, slinging shadow spike after shadow spike in their directions.

            All the while, Takanuva took the opportunity to call upon his large reserve of energy from within. His mind reached out to Wairuha, and found he could still connect to Gali’s mind in that way.

            _You two keep him distracted._

_What will you do?_ Wairuha’s soft voice helped sooth his mind.

            _I can end this. Keep blasting him with elemental energy, and once he’s down I’ll finish him off._

            _Okay, you got it._

            The two titans blasted Makuta with everything they had, sending waves of water, strong blasts of wind, large ice spikes, swirling infernos, giant boulders, and towering slabs of earth his way. The Master of Shadows was getting sloppier with his attacks, shooting orbs and spikes of shadow in every direction, tearing up surrounding trees and opening up more cracks in the ground.

            A silvery substance began rising in the large chasm Makuta created earlier. The only one who seemed to notice was Takanuva, but he quickly shut out the chaos around him, and dug deep into himself to call upon every ounce of power he possessed. He felt a warm glow within getting hotter and hotter until he was sure he’d burst into flames. His eyes fluttered open.

            Wairuha and Akamai had just expended almost all their energy to beat Makuta back. The Master of Shadows was on his hands and knees, covered in injuries, though he did not bleed. Suddenly from his hunched form immense twisted pillars exploded forth, hitting both titans square in their massive chests. Wairuha and Akamai collapsed, and split apart. The six Toa Nuva lay on the ground, all unconscious.

            Takanuva scowled, fixing all his attention on Makuta. The Master of Shadows struggled to his feet, and straightened up once again. He swayed slightly, cracking his neck in the process. Makuta scowled at Takanuva, lips curled up into a snarl.

            “I have to protect my brother,” Makuta growled, “He mustn’t be awakened.”

            “Protecting Mata Nui? You?” Takanuva scoffed, feeling every ounce of energy he had humming and buzzing within him.

            “Sleep spares him pain. Awakening him will only bring him suffering.” Makuta took a step towards the Toa of Light, flexing and clenching his massive fists.

            “You’re not protecting him,” Takanuva said, preparing himself. Makuta roared in fury, lunging forward.

            Takanuva released all his energy at once. With one hand extended he rocketed forward at light-speed, striking Makuta in the center of his chest. The impact sent shockwaves all throughout the island. The two enemies tumbled over each other, and both fell into the great chasm and splashed into the silvery pool that had just formed within it.

            The Toa of Light felt himself slipping away. He’d lost all sense of direction. He didn’t know where Makuta was, or where he himself was for that matter.

            Takanuva was filled with an overwhelming calm. He was so tired, and he allowed his mind to be taken by the darkness.


	28. For Mata Nui

            Hahli opened her eyes, scanning the area. Kini-Nui was a wreck. Most of the temple had collapsed, and trees and branches littered the ground. All that remained was the pillar of light that contained Jaller’s body. Turaga and matoran whispered with concern. All they’d been able to see were thick shadows and bright flashes of light in the distance, accompanied by insane weather patterns consisting of howling winds and rain, hail, and lightning all at once. It had suddenly quieted, and Hahli found that more unnerving than anything else.

            Her friend Macku appeared by her side, putting an arm around her.

            “Is it over?” Macku asked. Hahli stared into the distance.

            “Maybe,” she said, “But maybe not.”

            The two stood in silence for a few minutes before the ground began to shake.

            “Do you feel that too?” Macku asked Hahli.

            “Yeah, that can’t be anything good,” Hahli said, pushing away from her friend and running up to Jaller’s altar. She stood guard, planning on defending it if she had to.

            “Hahli! Hold on a second!” Macku’s voice reached her over the sound of the earthquake. Then everything lay still. Hahli could practically feel the tension and anticipation in every matoran around her.

            An immense pillar of light shot upwards in the distance, piercing the thick layer of black clouds in the sky. And a giant figure rose from the treeline, moving as silent as shadow itself. Macku was beside Hahli once again, gripping her arm.

            “Makuta?” said her friend in a terrified whisper.

            Hahli felt a smile spread across her face as the figure turned in Kini-Nui’s direction, and his face was revealed. “No,” she said, “that’s something new.”


	29. Light and Shadow

            The being drifted towards the Great Temple, filled with a sense of purpose. He waved one of his giant hands, and the clouds in the sky began to part. The sky was revealed once again. It was beautifully painted with a soft yellow glow emerging from the horizon out in the ocean, which sparkled with the light of the rising sun.

            The being was two halves, one of shadow and one of light, but only one destiny burned in his heart. He was going to awaken the Great Spirit Mata Nui. Down below, the tiny forms of matoran and Turaga, looked on with fear and awe. The being approached cautiously.

            “I mean no harm,” he thundered, “I only seek to banish evil from this island for good.”

            He stepped aside to reveal the six Toa Nuva, who had followed him close behind. They all joined the matoran and Turaga at the ruins of the Great Temple. His gaze fell upon the pillar of light in the center of the Temple. He saw the tiny body of a Ta-Matoran, suspended in the air and looking peacefully asleep. Something stirred within him, a familiarity, perhaps? Then the name came back to him: Jaller.

            A Ga-Matoran stood in front of the pillar, arms outstretched. She met his gaze unwaveringly.

            “Brave little one, I have something to ask of you,” he said to her. He recalled Hahli was her name, smiling at the memories that were conjured up. Hahli continued to stare, remaining silent.

            “I am going to lead you all the place where the Great Spirit shall be awakened. All I need from you is permission to take him along,” he pointed a finger at Jaller’s body. Hahli’s brow furrowed questioningly.

            “What will you do with him?” she demanded, arms lowering. She put her hands on her hips.

            “I simply want him to join us,” the being said, outstretching his massive hand. Hahli looked back at Jaller’s body and back to the being before her.

            “Alright,” Hahli said simply, stepping out of his way.

            The being reached into the pillar of light, gently grasping the limp form of the dead Ta-Matoran in one of his hands. He removed it, and the light faded out. He gestured with his other hand to the rest of the crowd.

            “Everyone on Mata Nui, come with me,” he said. He waited patiently for the remaining villagers of the island to gather, and when they were all ready, he began walking with large, slow steps back down into the tunnels underneath the ground.

            The being led them down to the lair where light and shadow clashed for the first time. He recalled the battle from both sides, the desperation of the light to prove itself and the fear of the darkness that it would be dispelled forever. The large cavern soon filled with the Toa, Turaga, and matoran. The crowd whispered in wonder. Each voice asked similar questions. Every heart beat in anticipation.

            “Here is where the destiny of all who inhabit this island lies,” the being said, his voice filling the cave and vibrating in the air. Placing the body of Jaller gently on the floor next to him, the being raised a hand, and dispelled the surrounding shadows.

            Behind Makuta’s veil was a door, so big it even dwarfed the towering being of light and shadow. He grasped the bottom of the door, and using all his strength he lifted it up.

            “Go, all who inhabit Mata Nui!” he thundered, muscles already beginning to strain under the door’s weight. Without question, the Toa Nuva and the Turaga began to lead their villagers through the door. The being caught sight of Hahli.

            “Hold for a moment, little one,” he said, “You should be the first one he sees.”

            Hahli’s blue eyes held many questions. The being, hoisting the door with only one hand now, held the other above Jaller’s body. Stripping away a fraction of his own life-force, the being conjured a powerful ball of light that engulfed Jaller’s form.

            The being could hear the small heart begin to beat once again. Jaller stirred, and his yellow eyes slowly opened. The light dissipated. Hahli gasped, bright blue eyes shining with tears. Jaller groaned weakly, and met her gaze. A small smile began forming on his lips. Laughter bubbled out of Hahli, and happy tears slid down her face.

            “Jaller!” she cried, wrapping her arms around the Ta-Matoran. Confused and drowsy, Jaller also looked perfectly content. He wrapped his arms around the Ga-Matoran in return, pressing his face into her hair and closing his eyes.

            The being could not enjoy the moment, for he found himself growing exponentially weaker by the second. The door’s immense weight pressed harder upon him, and all his muscles screamed in protest.

            “My duty is fulfilled,” he strained, “Quickly, get to the other side!”

            Hahli and Jaller joined hands and sprinted through the doorway. As soon as they made it on the other side, the being’s dominant light side began to separate. For a moment, he was only light, the darkness slipping away.

            The door slammed shut upon him in a cloud of dust.


	30. Peace

            Takanuva opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, and all he could make out were fuzzy blobs of color in front of him. He blinked, trying to recollect his thoughts and memories.

            “Hey, wake up!” a voice said. A voice he knew all too well.

            “J-Jaller?” Takanuva croaked. His vision cleared, and finally made out his friend’s face inches from his own.

            “You’re alive, you stupid kolhii-head!” Jaller cried, throwing his arms around him.

            Takanuva laughed, returning the hug and feeling immense emotion threatening to flood and spill out from his eyes. “And what about you?” he said, punching Jaller’s arm, who yelped in pain, “How did—?”

            “—You don’t remember?” Jaller said, rubbing his own arm, “You and Makuta combined. You…brought me back.”

            Takanuva looked down at his own hands, filled with awe.

            “Yes, and by being fused with the enemy, you had enough strength to lead us all here, past the Great Door,” Turaga Vakama approached the two, beaming with pride, “Now all that’s left is to awaken Mata Nui from his sleep.”

            Takanuva looked around. The six Toa Nuva, the six Turaga, and thousands of matoran were congregated on a sandy beach. The ocean reflected a lavender sky, and sparkled with silvery light.

            “Where are we?” Takanuva asked, standing himself up to his full height.

            “This,” Vakama said, gesturing with his arms, “is only our first stop.”

            Takanuva opened his mouth to ask a question, but Vakama raised his staff to silence him.

            “I’ll answer all your questions in due time,” the old man said, smiling, “For now, let us awaken the Great Spirit.”

            As per the instructions given to them by all the Turaga, the six Toa Nuva stood in a circle, crossing each other’s weapons. In the center stood Takanuva. The Toa Nuva all closed their eyes. Takanuva did as well, focusing on the energy they all gave off. He felt himself being touched by all their souls: Tahu’s courage, Gali’s devotion, Lewa’s enthusiasm, Kopaka’s steadfastness, Pohatu’s determination, and Onua’s wisdom. Holding on to all of them, Takanuva drew in a warm light, and while opening his eyes he raised his staff above his head, and fired a pure beam of white light upwards into the sky.

            A bright flash blinded everyone for a few moments, and the air itself began to stir. A new sun lit up the lavender sky, bathing all in its light.

            From the depths of the ocean rose a stone path that disappeared into the horizon.

            Thus began the journey of the inhabitants of the once glorious paradise, named after the Great Spirit himself. With the Turaga in the lead, the Toa and Matoran walked side by side on the stone path, filled with both questions and a sense of unspoken wonder.

            Takanuva strode alongside Jaller and Hahli, who were holding hands. Off to his other side, Takanuva saw Macku and Hewkii had also joined hands. Tahu and Kopaka were talking civilly with one another. The other Toa and matoran laughed and joked together, filling the air with pleasant sound.

            Takanuva glanced back at Jaller, who met his eyes. The two friends grinned at each other. Jaller punched his arm, and Takanuva punched back, twice as hard.

_New legends awake, but old lessons must be remembered. For this is the way of the Bionicle._


End file.
